SEAPRAP RESEARCH REPORT NO. 58 INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AND MALAY FEMALE RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION IN MALAYSIA M A JAMILAH Department of Economic Development and Planning Faculty of Economics Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Selangor, Malaysia April 1981 A report of research undertaken with the assistance of an award from the Southeast Asia Population Research Awards Program (SEAPRAP), Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Republic of Singapore ARCHIV 54872 (an edited version) PR lo D ¡ CA L IDRC LIBRARY j BI8UOTHQUE DU AUG 1k Aou.r ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OTTAWA Tis study was made possible with support from many sources. I i very grateful to the Southeast Laja Population Research Awards Program (SEAPRW) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia for the generous research grants. 'n this context I owe a special note o thacs to Dr. ong Chan Onn of the Faculty of Economics and Administration, Unive:sity of Malaya for introducing me to SEAPRAP, to Tuan Syed Othman Aihabahi (former Dean of Economics Faculty, Universiti Kebangsaan) for his support, and to Dr. Pedro Flores and Dr. Wilfredo Arce for their good natured way of waiting for this fina], report. To Professor John Western of the University of Queensland, Australia, I express my appreciation for hia valuable professional guidance and research expertise, to Mr. Ghani Othman, ay husband, for his support and help in the field research and in overcoming the various obstacles and problems, and to my mother, Puan Zabedah, for her eternal encouragement and support in relieving my 'double-day' responsibilitiea. This study would not have been completed without the continual support of Mr. Zathal Abidin bin Zainuddin, Mr. lion, and Mr. Hui Seak Fun (former members of the Computer Unit of Universiti Kebangaaan). To these three gentlemen, I owe special gratitude for their efficient coding and computer assistance and the constant reminder of the Malaysian spirit of altruistic friendship and 'muhibah'. Mention must also be made of the students and staff of Univeraiti Kebangeaan, too many to acknowledge individually, who have collectively assisted in the completion of the research project. A special note of thanks must be given to Othman Amir (former office helper of the Department of Economic Development and Planning). Special mention must be made of my research assistants Cik Sitj Fazillah, Mr. Yusof Kassim of Universiti Kebangsaan and Cik Wan Mazian, Mr. Alias Jalaluddin and Syed Hafiz of the University of Malaya. In this regard many others like Puan Sabiha Sainad of the Institute of Technology MARA must be acknowledged for their help in introducing me to the research and field assistants. 11 My áppreciation aliso extends to the ladies for their skillful typing; namely Cik Zaida and Miss Rhinee of the Faculty of Economics and Admthïstratian. 1!ni'erity of Malaya, and Cik Rosni of the Department of nomic Development and Planning, Universiti Kebangsaan. To all the indiiiduals who have participated in this research project, directly or indirectly, and who cannot be mentioned to mdntain our agreement of anonymity, once again my thanks and 'terima kaseh'. 111 AB STRACT This is a study conce ned with the impact of export-oriented industrialization on Malay female ruralurban migration in Malaysia and the implications of Malay emale labour force participation in factory employment for the female migrants in particular and Malaysian society in general. The massive influx of young single Malay women from the traditional rural sector into the modern urban-indutrial sector is a recent but very significant feature of the Ma1aysin scene today. Before 1970 it was very uncommon to hear of autonomous migration of single Malay females or to see Malay girls working in modern factories. After 1970 the nuither of Malay village girls working as factory workers in urbanised areas ir creased by the thousands. The massive influx of single girls into factory areas and the surrounding reidential communities has become a major issue of concern arid debate in Malaysian society. Among other things, the sudden presence of thousandr of single, yung village women ir. the cities is unexpected and till q ite unaccepted by several groups of the urban society. ThL. suspcion aid hostility have been rationaised on the basis of several ma:s-media reports of factory girls' involvement in activities which 'ere cntrary to traditional norms and beliefs. Despite the widespread concern abot this exodw of single females into factory employment, there was a jitual absence of wide-ranging studies or up-to- date statistics on fctory girls in Malr'ysia. This paradoxical situation of widespread publicity on the one hand and relative absence of studies on the other has influene& the writer tu conduct an exploratory study on 1,294 migrant Malay factory girls in Peninsualr Malaysia during the period 1977-1980. This study has two mrjor objectives: First: to explore the causes explaining the rural..urban migration of single Malay girls to the urban-industrial centres of Peninsular Malaysia and second to trace the adaptation process ot these iigrant workers. Material for this study has been ultained by empirical research on 1,294 migrant factory girib, and 2,000 rural villagers and 3 urban communities comprising interviews with cver 200 residents in Peninsular Malaysia. The major methods of investigation were questionnaire- iv interviewing, participant observation and through informai visits to factory girls' homes. The findings of this r-search sugget the following conci usions: FIRST: The int'rplay etween export-oriented industrialization in Malays'a and the imp2mentation of the New Economic policy as regards the quota for Malay workers has resulted in ¿t sudden expansion in employment opportunities for the young and single Malay women. Complementarily in the l970's, the sitution of limited job.-opportunities in the other sector's for the relatively-eductted Malay women had acted as an important factor which compelL'd Malay girls to enter into factory employment. SECOND: Since the majority of export-oriented industrial factories wbch employ the majrity of women workers are located in the urban areas and the majority of Malay women are residents of rural areas, the selective pull factors for Malay female orkers has r'suited in the rural- urban exodus of Malay village girls to tie urban-base factories. THLD: It is highly probable that this massive influx of female rural-urban migratios will result in the emergeitce of a new grou of working cI.aea Malays in the cities, namely the Malay female factc.iy wcrker This is a valid hypo'heses becase many f these migrart factory workerE have indicated their intention to continue working as factory workers and to settle in the cit.es. FOURTH: The unsuccessful assimilation of migrant factory girls into the urban communities and ihe absorption of these girls into the factory cultural system have led to the formation of close friendship groups and social networks among factory girls. These factors have paved the way towards the formation of a distinct subculture of factory girls. FIFTH: The continuai encapsulation of factory girls into their own groups and the continuing patteri of' Malay factory girls' marrying Malay men from the same occupational stratum have provided the hypothesis that a group of industrial working class Malaya will emerge in the urL 'n areas. This hypothesis is supported by tindings which :ndicate that man, factory giras continue to work as factory employees after they are married and have become the mothrs uf a new breen of urban-based Malays. A viir4 ro -rwonro iwoa t .tt.t IPfL O sLrNo3 A NOIJ,3fl(iOLLÑI t- n-Plana M't t tLiDl ) M5IAHAO ffO ,>trnI *7 S LLIwd NOIdcII NI LfaN1 TI OLLwZI O1TJ1 TI ÑOItrOdX - PILLSflUNI ¿LNiidOTiASC1 NI 1TflS\IIMd ISA'TrW a rtn_rran OIL4if'I L.OVd4I CN' NOLWVO1TtdI (2 1dY!-TO AI - iL NOILIOd O OP £iiO! NI HL CNIiJfl'iY sI&LEIcINI iJ IA'T ¿ç IdVH3 A - T1J1 MOLIXJ.WcPr OEcT GflT AIJJd' SIÜtJ1iLS &) iy1 miicïa :!DI H1L S) O XrTr. AUOJ3' STEED II VIA7TfW ILd) IA - DNI;fls ¿ii " q 1tt 1J{cTtafOI *76 NOIJ,Sfl) I L LO tiVNÑOI1Sfl? II L o 1 ThTICDIJOTICN Thii study has wo mur ains: First: to emplore the factrs tor village girls' migration to urban- based factories in Penissiilar MaLaysia. Second: to trace the idaptation procr's and adaptiif e trateis of these female migrants t work and life n the urban envinment. Foc's of Interest Int'-'rest is focused on four areas. Fi'tJy, on the background reasons fo the comirg of :.ndustrial maltínationai-:)ned companies t Malsia and the establishxnent of export-oriented indutrializatin in ?'alaysia. Secondly, on the sudden expancion in employment opportunities for women workers in the manufacturing seor oI the Malaysian economy and its relationship with export-orientd industrialization. Thirdly, on the connection between tht increasing participation ai' Malay women in the m.nufaeturin sectcrn' labour force, and the exodur of Malay women's mig'ation from the rural to the urban areas. Fourthly, on the 1on-term implicatiors of Malay female labour migration to urban-based facto:ies for Maay society in particular and Malaysian society in general. Conceptual Orientation Three conceptual orientations guide the study. The first ha to do with the push-pull model of migrations the second with th 'world-systems' perspective1 and the third with the 'open-systems' theory.2 Specifically the causes foc villnge girls' migration to urban-based factories are analysed maii1y in macri-leve1 terms, namely the 'pali' fac'ors of industrial development in the urbanised areas and the 'push' factors existing in the sending vllhzes. Secondly, the factors for the sudden expansion in employment opportunities for the single, young women (mainly Malay) in th export-oriented industries in Malaysia are analysed 2 ir relation to the nexus oi the internationalisation of capital and the establishment of the world-assembly factory system.