Migration and the Globalization of Care Work

Abstract

The unprecedented level of population ageing and retrenchment of social expenditures has brought “care” into the center of social analysis. In many countries, the gap between the need for care and the state’s inability to provide care has resulted in a large influx of migrants into the care workforce. This paper discusses the status of and relationship between migration and care work in Japan by focusing on interactions taking place at the grassroots level to envision the possibility of peace building from the bottom up.

This paper first outlines the discussion on care and justice by feminist authors who question: (1) the unpaid reproductive work undertaken by women, and (2) the unequal distribution of care resources across the globe, where migrant women undertaking care work in the global north have to leave their own care responsibilities to other members in the global south. Also, in many countries, migrant women are imprisoned in the private sphere without protection or freedom; this has been epitomized as “neo-slavery.” These arguments echo what Galtung calls “violence,” either personal or structural, as the dependency created by the care receiver will inhibit the capability of the care provider to become an independent citizen.

Second, it elaborates the everyday interactions between migrant care workers and Japanese people working in care facilities. The migrants come to Japan via different trajectories but are now a part of the care workforce in Japan. Despite the fact that migrant care workers are considered part of the uneven process of globalization, they are exercising their agency and creating their own space through efforts of trust-building with the Japanese. This demonstrates the potential of care work to be an inclusive space for people from different backgrounds to develop relationships within the community. If certain conditions that ensure a good working environment are met, care work has the potential to bring social participation and recognition to migrants.

Finally, this paper concludes by stating the conditions for care work should no longer be ones of neo-slavery or violence; rather, the issues of governance and anti-racism measures will be critical to bring the discussion of care and migrants into the public policy debate, in order to conceive a just and sustainable system.