Maid to order in Hong Kong : stories of migrant workers, a book that showing the relationship between migrant workers and Hong Kong, written by Nicle Constable ,Cornell University Press, Ithaca and London, 2007. This book shows the situation of migrant labour that after the globalization occurred. A huge economic differences between Hong Kong and neighboring state, and the shortage of worthwhile job in national economy, than Hong Kong has became a place that migrant workers would prefer to work.
This book describe the live of Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong in a detailed manner. The first chapter is Foreign and Domestic in Hong Kong, which shows the living conditions and the experience of those domestic workers by power, living space, etc. And chapter 2 Global Themes and Local Patterns summarize the reasons why large amount of migrant workers are needed in Hong Kong and point out the policy that the Hong Kong government set up for the employment of those migrant workers. Chapter 3 Superior Servants list out several types of servants that appeared in Hong Kong’s history. Like in 1970s, the construction industry and service sector developed quickly, with the shortage of local manpower, large amount of migrant workers were needed. Besides, in 1980s, the number of middle-class family increased, there is also rising the demand of domestic workers. Therefore the women of Philippine began to migrate work in Hong Kong. Chapter 4 to 6 ,The Trade in Workers,Household Rules and Relations and Disciplined Migrants, Docile Workers, mainly described about how the migrant domestic workers were suppressed by the employers, the employment agencies. By decreasing the salary and the harsh provision, the migrant domestic workers were in a low status. In chapter 7 to 9,Resistance and Protest, Docility and Self-Discipline and Pleasure and Power. By those stories told by the domestic workers, provided the detail of the experience and explanation of them. In p.203, writer says ‘They are not simply subject to institutionalized power’, ‘Rather, they are implicated in a field of discursive power in which they both contest and contribute to alternative versions of reality’, which is important that those workers have to challenge the original structure.
As a Hongkonger, we have already accustomed to live in a multicultural city, with different races, skin color or language. And the migrant workers are the most common career that we could meet in daily life. However, it is puzzled that the treatment between the migrant domestic workers and other migrant workers, like engineers, chef or teacher, have a huge difference. Since the government set up the statutory wage of foreign domestic helpers, which is the maximum amount of salary that they can get, but the salary of other migrant workers are protected by the minimum wage instead of the maximum wage. As a result, it is not fair that the salary of domestic workers is different from other career. I think is the most vulnerable exploitation and discrimination, as many people think that those domestic workers are come from poor countries and their job are not beneficial to the economic value. However, the book mention that a lot of the migrant domestic workers have a university degree, which means they are knowledgeable. But because of they want to gain more money for the household spending, they come to Hong Kong a get a job of domestic worker.In fact, due to the concern of being deported, so that the employers of the foreign domestic workers will stop who stop reporting them from Labour Department, and denied the right of employers and suffered unfair treatment of the complaint.
With many sources of data, visiting the employment agencies, meeting with government officer. A lot of historical and scientific information are provided in this book, which reflect the daily life of domestic workers and the labour migration in Asia. The book is worth to recommend for those who are willing to employ a domestic worker or to learn more about labour migration.
This book describe the live of Filipino domestic worker in Hong Kong in a detailed manner. The first chapter is Foreign and Domestic in Hong Kong, which shows the living conditions and the experience of those domestic workers by power, living space, etc. And chapter 2 Global Themes and Local Patterns summarize the reasons why large amount of migrant workers are needed in Hong Kong and point out the policy that the Hong Kong government set up for the employment of those migrant workers. Chapter 3 Superior Servants list out several types of servants that appeared in Hong Kong’s history. Like in 1970s, the construction industry and service sector developed quickly, with the shortage of local manpower, large amount of migrant workers were needed. Besides, in 1980s, the number of middle-class family increased, there is also rising the demand of domestic workers. Therefore the women of Philippine began to migrate work in Hong Kong. Chapter 4 to 6 ,The Trade in Workers,Household Rules and Relations and Disciplined Migrants, Docile Workers, mainly described about how the migrant domestic workers were suppressed by the employers, the employment agencies. By decreasing the salary and the harsh provision, the migrant domestic workers were in a low status. In chapter 7 to 9,Resistance and Protest, Docility and Self-Discipline and Pleasure and Power. By those stories told by the domestic workers, provided the detail of the experience and explanation of them. In p.203, writer says ‘They are not simply subject to institutionalized power’, ‘Rather, they are implicated in a field of discursive power in which they both contest and contribute to alternative versions of reality’, which is important that those workers have to challenge the original structure.
As a Hongkonger, we have already accustomed to live in a multicultural city, with different races, skin color or language. And the migrant workers are the most common career that we could meet in daily life. However, it is puzzled that the treatment between the migrant domestic workers and other migrant workers, like engineers, chef or teacher, have a huge difference. Since the government set up the statutory wage of foreign domestic helpers, which is the maximum amount of salary that they can get, but the salary of other migrant workers are protected by the minimum wage instead of the maximum wage. As a result, it is not fair that the salary of domestic workers is different from other career. I think is the most vulnerable exploitation and discrimination, as many people think that those domestic workers are come from poor countries and their job are not beneficial to the economic value. However, the book mention that a lot of the migrant domestic workers have a university degree, which means they are knowledgeable. But because of they want to gain more money for the household spending, they come to Hong Kong a get a job of domestic worker.In fact, due to the concern of being deported, so that the employers of the foreign domestic workers will stop who stop reporting them from Labour Department, and denied the right of employers and suffered unfair treatment of the complaint.
With many sources of data, visiting the employment agencies, meeting with government officer. A lot of historical and scientific information are provided in this book, which reflect the daily life of domestic workers and the labour migration in Asia. The book is worth to recommend for those who are willing to employ a domestic worker or to learn more about labour migration.