Wife or Worker?: Asian Women and Migration

by Nicola Piper (Editor), Mina Roces (Editor)

Overview

This volume challenges the dominant discourse that perceives Asian women as either "mail-order" brides or overseas workers. Providing the first sustained critique of the artificial analytical division between brides and workers, the book demonstrates women's transition from brides to workers and from workers to brides. Focusing on how women workers use marriage as a strategy to gain citizenship and how migrants for marriage become workers, the authors present these modern Asian women in their multidimensional roles as wives, workers, mothers, and citizens.

The case studies explore a wide gamut of experiences, including Filipino caregivers in Canada, Thai sex workers in Germany, Filipino brides in Australia, Singaporean expatriates in Shanghai, Taiwanese families split between Taiwan and California, Asian migrants for marriage in Japan, and Filipino domestic helpers in Spain and Italy. All of these show the multiplicity of roles women maintain and emphasize the point that marriage, work, and migration are inextricably linked.

Contributions by: Maria W. L. Chee, Michelle Lee, Deirdre McKay, Pat Mix, Tomoko Nakamatsu, Rogelia Pe-Pua, Nicola Piper, Mina Roces, Katie Willis, and Brenda Yeoh.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780585463810
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	09/01/2004
Series:	Asia/Pacific/Perspectives
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	232
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Nicola Piper is a senior researcher at the Regulatory Institutions Network, The Australian National University. Mina Roces teaches in the School of History, The University of New South Wales.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: Introduction: Marriage and Migration in an Age of Globalization
Chapter 2: Filipinas in Canada: Deskilling as a Push toward Marriage
Chapter 3: Does Marriage Liberate Women from Sex Work? Thai Women in Germany
Chapter 4: Sisterhood Is Local: Filipina Women in Mount Isa
Chapter 5: Gender, Marriage, and Skilled Migration: The Case of Singaporeans in China
Chapter 6: Reflections on Transnational Life-Course and Migratory Patterns of Middle Class Women: Preliminary Observations from Malaysia
Chapter 7: Migrating for the Children: Taiwanese American Women in Transnational Families
Chapter 8: Wife, Mother, and Maid: The Triple Role of Filipino Domestic Workers in Spain and Italy
Chapter 9: International Marriage through Introduction Agencies: Social and Legal Realities of "Asian" Wives of Japanese Men

Editorial Reviews

Wife or Worker? is a fascinating collection of case studies drawn from a diverse range of disciplines. The text not only challenges feminist thinking about Asian women's migration patterns, but also raises important topics for further scholarly research.

Australian Feminist Studies

Wife or Worker? is a fascinating collection of case studies drawn from a diverse range of disciplines. The text not only challenges feminist thinking about Asian women's migration patterns, but also raises important topics for further scholarly research.--Australian Feminist Studies

From the Publisher