The Reposition of Women’s Role in Migrant Worker’s Families in Karawang

The authors are lecturers at Communication Management Department, Universitas Padjadjaran

Abstract

Being a migrant worker is an alternative choice for many Karawang people to get out of the economic hardship. The decision of many women to be a migrant worker indicates the reposition of their role from reproduction to production. However, this creates internal problems, as well as deeply affects their domestic functions and roles, in their families. This research aimed to describe the reposition of women’s role in migrant workers’ families related to their decision to work abroad. Case study was the method used to provide a complete and in-depth view on the subject under study. The subject was multi-sources with ten key informants of female migrant workers from Tempuran District in Karawang Regency. Data were collected through in-depth interview, observation, and library study. The result shows that the reposition of female migrant workers’ role in Karawang is from domestic sphere (as housewives) to public sphere (as breadwinner). It occurs because of family economic pressure, which eventually resolved by working abroad. Although it has a positive impact on the fulfillment of family economic needs, it has a negative impact on psychological and social aspects of abandoned husbands and children.