An Analysis of Gendered Labor Migration: the Case of Indramayu Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia
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Summary of Doctoral Dissertation An Analysis of Gendered Labor Migration: The Case of Indramayu Regency, West Java Province, Indonesia TITAN Listiani* Indonesia is a major source of migrant labor in Southeast Asia. In the late 1970s, the Indonesian government began actively exporting workers overseas as one strategy to address poverty, reduce unemployment, generate foreign exchange, and foster growth. Indonesian labor migration is characterized by a high number of female migrant laborers employed as domestic workers on a contract basis. The high demand for domestic workers in Middle Eastern countries and some industrialized countries in Asia, as well as the abundant domestic supply of labor, have spurred labor migration from Indonesia. This supply and demand relationship, along with the migration policies of the sending and receiving countries, has sustained a continuous flow of migration. However, the absence of females from their families, especially mothers, may have a negative impact on children, as women have traditionally been the primary caregivers in child rearing. Despite this potential for a negative impact and the demand within patriarchal society for females to stay at home, economic pressures have induced women to join international labor migration. This study analyzes the determining factors behind gendered migration, female circular migration and the impact of migration on children who have been left behind. The study begins by examining the household characteristics that influence the decision to choose female over male family members to participate in labor migration. Due to the high prevalence of female circular migration, this study also analyzes the determining factors and characteristics of circular migration. Finally, this study examines the impact of gendered migration on the growth of migrants’ children. The empirical portion of this study uses primary data obtained through a field survey completed in Indramayu Regency, one of the major labor-exporting regions in Indonesia, conducted between February 2016 and September 2017. The data has been analyzed quantitatively as well as qualitatively, in order to confirm the findings of the quantitative analysis. The results demonstrate that the level of education and the household economic conditions significantly influence the decision about which gender will participate in labor migration. Circular migrants tend to be less educated, to work in the Middle East, and to employ middlemen to arrange their first migrations. This study also shows that gendered labor migration impacts the growth of migrants’ children in different ways. Paternal migration tends to have a positive influence on child growth, while maternal migration has not been found to be an influential factor. The positive impact of migrants’ remittances is negated by the absence of mothers, who are usually the primary caregivers for their children. Finally, this study demonstrates that community support plays a significant role in improving child growth in general, and may be the most effective strategy for reducing the undesired effects of migration on children. * Doctoral Program in Policy Science Graduate School of Policy Science, Ritsumeikan University ©Asia-Japan Research Institute of Ritsumeikan University: Asia-Japan Research Academic Bulletin, 2019-2020. ONLINE ISSN 2435-306X, Vol.1, 91.27. 1 .