Essay on Gender Equality and Migration

Gender equality is a human right and women are entitled to live with dignity, freedom and without fear. In the past century, women in industrialized countries have made significant steps in labor markets, and this has led to a clear merging in human capital investment, employment prospects and outcomes relative to men. As more women choose to follow their careers, they are forced to get maids and nannies to assist in house chores. Therefore, the drive to achieve gender equality in developed nations has encouraged migration of domestic workers from third world countries. This paper discusses how the increase of migrant workers from the global south is an unintended consequence of more gender equality for women in developed countries and provides some possible solutions to the problem.

The push for gender equality has increased the chances for more women to take up tough jobs that were initially meant for men (Alison, 2001). The numbers of families who rely on men as sole breadwinners have therefore decreased drastically in the recent past. "It is estimated that women are the sole, primary, or coequal earners in more than half of American families (Ehrenreich & Hochschild, 2002)." Moreover, career women have the urge to earn status in the society, strive to have full-time careers, have thriving children and a well-managed home. To achieve this, they are forced to get help from third world migrants. Thus, "Many women have succeeded in tough "male world" careers only by turning over the care of their children, elderly parents, and homes to women from the Third World (Alison, 2001)." With the increase in globalization migration of women from the south has also increased. Moreover, the decrease in social services in industrialized nations has forced women to find survival options. "In the global North, making hospitals more "efficient" has involved discharging patients earlier-to be cared for at home by female family members (Ehrenreich & Hochschild, 2002)." This gap is an opportunity for women from the south to migrate and work in the developed nations. Such jobs have increased the number of women migrants. Some governments from third world nations encourage women to do these domestic jobs, by devising programs that teach them how to use household appliances such as vacuum cleaners and electric mixers. Women in such countries also aim at achieving liberation and being breadwinners, like their male counterparts. The women have an option to "either live in their home country and raise their children in very difficult conditions or live in a wealthy country and make money to provide for their children but not get to raise thema disheartening choice for poor women of developing countries (Ehrenreich & Hochschild, 2002)."

Although the women in the developed world need help to focus on their career, it does not have to come from developing nations. The country should provide public childcare for working mothers and also ensure those who go for family or medical leave get paid. Men should increase their contribution in house chores. "As American women take on paid employment, the men should do more to increase their contribution to home chores (Ehrenreich & Hochschild, 2002)." Immigrant nannies do not enable affluent women to get in the workforce, but it enables the men to avoid household work.

The fight for gender equality has seen many women in industrialized nations choosing to be career women rather than housewives. They work long hours and do not get time to do house chores, thus leaving their homes and children to nannies and maids. "The lifestyles of the First World are made possible by a global transfer of the services associated with a wife's traditional rolechild care, homemaking, and sexfrom poor countries to rich ones (Ehrenreich & Hochschild, 2002)." This has contributed to the increase in the number of women migrating from third world countries to do domestic work in the foreign countries. Therefore, the number of women migrating to developed countries to do domestic work has increased drastically. As the career women spend most of their time in offices, it encourages immigrants to take up the task of managing their homes

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Alison, J. (2001, November 3). Is Globalization Good for Women? Retrieved 10 17, 2017, from file:///C:/Users/Ultimate/Downloads/is_globalization_good_for_women_(1)%20(1).pdf

Ehrenreich, B., & Hochschild, A. R. (2002, May 9). Nannies, Maids, and Sex Workers in the New Economy. Retrieved October 18, 2017, from file:///C:/Users/Ultimate/Downloads/Ehrenreich_Global%20Women.pdf