Impact of foreign domestic workers on the fertility decision of households: evidence from Hong Kong

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-31
Author(s):  
Nobuyuki Nakamura ◽  
Aya Suzuki
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Local Area ◽  
Ordinary Least Squares ◽  
Low Fertility ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
Fertility Choice ◽  
Variable Approach ◽  
Foreign Domestic Workers

Abstract A potential solution to low fertility is the employment of foreign domestic workers (FDWs), who substitute child-rearing and housework duties, thus reducing child-rearing costs. Recent studies argue that the flow of low-skilled foreign workers into the childcare sector influences fertility choice. However, these studies mainly use the availability of FDWs in the local area as the causal inference and focus on Western countries, making it difficult to identify individual direct effects or generalize the findings to other countries. To bridge this research gap and examine the impacts, this study uses household data from the Hong Kong census. Employing ordinary least squares, the inverse probability weighted regression adjustment, and the instrumental variable approach, we find that households that employ live-in FDWs give birth to more children. Moreover, the heterogeneous analysis reveals that women's greater proportional contribution to household income has a positive impact on households' fertility response after employing the FDWs.

Better a Friend Nearby Than a Brother Far Away? The Health Implications of Foreign Domestic Workers’ Family and Friendship Networks

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 765-783
Author(s):  
Jing Ye ◽  
Feinian Chen
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Protective Effects ◽  
Personal Network ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Daily Contact ◽  
Foreign Domestic Workers ◽  
Reported Health ◽  
Migrant Domestic Workers

Migrant domestic workers provide essential services to the families they live with, but they are not considered a part of the family. As a group, they are not well-integrated into the society and often suffer from social isolation. In this article, we explore the potential health buffering effects of their personal network, in terms of family and friendship ties in both the local community and their home country. Existing literature provides inconsistent evidence on who and what matters more, with regard to the nature, strength, and geographic locations of individual personal networks. Using data from the Survey of Migrant domestic Workers in Hong Kong (2017), we find that family ties are extremely important. The presence of family members in Hong Kong as well as daily contact with family, regardless of location, are associated with better self-reported health. Only daily contact with friends in Hong Kong, not with friends in other countries, promotes better health. We also find evidence that the protective effects of family and friends networks depend on each other. Those foreign domestic workers with families in Hong Kong but also maintain daily contact with friends have the best self-reported health among all.

Correlates of life satisfaction among Southeast Asian foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong: An exploratory study

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Dick Man Leung ◽  
Etonia Ying Tung Tang
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Perceived Social Support ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Demographic Characteristics ◽  
Special Group ◽  
Foreign Domestic Workers

Live-in foreign domestic workers (FDWs) are a special group in Hong Kong, where they account for approximately 4 percent of Hong Kong’s population. FDWs’ level of life satisfaction (LS) and its correlates have been under-researched thus far. This study examined data from 130 participants and sought to determine the effect of perceived social support, self-esteem and demographic characteristics on LS. The results showed that being married was negatively associated with LS while self-esteem was not a significant factor. The findings suggest the importance of providing support to FDWs to enhance their LS.

scholarly journals Abuse and Violence Against Foreign Domestic Workers. A Case from Hong Kong

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-238 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akm Ahsan Ullah
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Coping Strategies ◽  
Psychological Abuse ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Foreign Domestic Workers ◽  
Decision To Stay ◽  
Migrant Domestic Workers

Abstract This paper explores various abuses Foreign Domestic Helpers (FDHs) or migrant domestic workers (MDW) in Hong Kong suffer and the strategies they take up to cope with this abuse. Data were collected from 215 domestic helpers (135 from the Philippines, 30 from Thailand, 41 from Indonesia, and 9 from Sri Lanka) all of whom had been in residence for at least six months. Selected by snow-balling technique, respondents were interviewed with structured and non-structured questionnaires. Research shows that sexual abuse is the most common form of abuse against MDWs followed by psychological and physical abuses. Female employers are the main perpetuators of psychological abuse while the male employers are culpable for sexual abuses. Coping strategies varied widely among the MDWs. Many of them endure the violence to keep the job; some quit the job and others struggle with the decision to stay or quit.

The Foreign Domestic Workers in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan: Should Minimum Wage Apply to Foreign Domestic Workers?

2018 ◽  
Vol 51 (2) ◽  
pp. 154-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chieh-Hsuan Wang ◽  
Chien-Ping Chung ◽  
Jen-Te Hwang ◽  
Chia-yang Ning
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Foreign Domestic Workers

Much Ado About Nothing? Do Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong Benefit From Capital Accumulation?

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 823-840
Author(s):  
Yuying Tong ◽  
Niantao Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Human Capital ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Language Proficiency ◽  
Working Conditions ◽  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Rights Protection ◽  
Foreign Domestic Workers

The accumulation of human and social capital plays a significant role in influencing migrants’ earnings and economic integration in the host society. Although the effects of foreign domestic workers’ bargaining power on their labor market outcome is constrained due to their unique migrant status, domestic workers may still strive to make use of various resources to secure “ideal” jobs as much as possible. Using a randomly selected unique data set collected in Hong Kong in 2017, this study examines whether foreign domestic workers’ human and social capitals are associated with their salary scale, working conditions, and work rights protection. We use education, previously held jobs, migration duration, and language proficiency to measure human capital, and friendship networks and church attendance to indicate social capital. We found that previously having middle-level job experience can reduce the likelihood of experiencing underpay and increase the likelihood of having overpay, taking the legal minimum salary as a reference. English language proficiency could also give them some leverage to access a better pay scale. Previous human capital accumulation is associated with having a private room in the employer’s home. It is also associated with better protection of work rights such as being less likely to experience a “no pay” month. For social capital, frequent participation in Sunday gathering with friends is mainly associated with rights protection. These findings indicate that although foreign domestic workers may be constrained in using their capital accumulation to improve their market value substantially, the capital accumulation can still give some leverage for them to bargain for a slightly improved salary, better working conditions, and protection of their rights.

scholarly journals Editorial

Focaal ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 2008 (51) ◽  
pp. v-vi
Author(s):  
Oscar Salemink
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Minimum Wage ◽  
Domestic Workers ◽  
Migrant Labor ◽  
Labor Contracts ◽  
Foreign Domestic Workers

On Sunday, 23 February 2003, around twelve thousand foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong—largely, but not exclusively, Filipina “maids”—demonstrated in Victoria Park against government plans to levy a new charge on migrant labor contracts while lowering the minimum wage.

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