Most readers of Children of Global Migration will be familiar with the main themes of Parreñas’s (2005) book. However, Parreñas offers unique insight into the intersection of gender and economic policy as well as gender and immigration policies. Population migration is not a new issue by any means, but the patterns of global migration continue to change as labor markets change. The situation with Philippine domestic workers is unique because many women leave their own children to take care of an employer’s children, while her husband hires a woman from a lower socio-economic rank to perform the gendered duties of housekeeping and childrearing. Gender roles are strict and immutable enough in the Philippines to prevent most men from simply assuming household or childrearing duties, even if the family could save money by doing so. When the mother is working abroad taking care of the employer’s children, her relationship with her own back in the Philippines often suffers. Unlike male labor, female labor is devalued and deemed unworthy of respect. If a father leaves his family for temporary work abroad, he is celebrated for his contributions to the family; when the mother does the same, she is shamed for leaving her kids to take care of another’s. This complex array of issues features gender as a pivotal issue in migration. Parreñas discusses the impact of neoliberal global economic policies on migration decisions of females in poor/underdeveloped countries....

The neoliberal policies effectively transformed the global labor market, making it easier and more attractive for workers of all social classes to find positions in receiving countries. Parreñas focuses on Philippine women in the caregiving sector, including domestic work but also healthcare. Often the domestic care sector is a grey market area, which presents its own set of challenges, as the migrant laborer might not enjoy the same legal or financial privileges she might have if she worked in the more official caregiving or healthcare sectors. Moreover, neoliberal policies are almost by definition fluid and responsive to market forces. They are not based on values, principles, or ethics. Should the market demand for female caregivers change, the workers would find themselves in a precarious situation and likely forced to return home. Caregivers also utilize the neoliberal economic policies in their favor, as they can send home remittances—usually the goal of the type of migrant labor Parreñas discusses.
Gender roles define which positions a person will take at home and, to a lesser degree, in the receiving country. Parreñas was disturbed at the rigid gender roles and hierarchies in Philippines. She quickly realizes that gender roles are immutable, which is why fathers do not take over the household or childcare duties when their wives work abroad. Household chores and childcare are women’s work; men risk losing their status if they perform these…