Arising in Migration: Forming a Power through Connectivity for Javanese Women

Abstract

A number of Javanese women have taken jobs as migrant workers in Hong Kong. This feminization of migrant workers, specifically informal work, has developed in part because of the established patriarchy in Javanese culture. Little research has been done to analyze the cross-national patterns of domestic worker transformation abroad. This research aims to fill this gap by describing and analyzing how Javanese women construct reality as migrant workers, forming a sense of connectivity with their female peers through networking and interaction. This study uses qualitative research for seventeen Javanese subjects, adopting the phenomenological approach with Foucault’s theory. Conducted in several districts of Hong Kong, this research applied area sampling. This research found that Javanese woman created their own careers by breaking the rules of the established patriarchal system by migrating to Hong Kong. Javanese women assumed self-autonomy and, once in Hong Kong, formed their own local communities. Keywords: Migration, Power, Connectivity, Javanese Women