Women Migrant Workers in ASEAN

There has long been a trend to consider the contribution of labour migrants in terms of the economic benefit that they can bring to development. As the autonomous labour migration of women has increased so too has the interest in the development benefit that they bring. This interest has been primarily economic, focusing on how women migrant workers’ remittances – money sent home – can contribute to economic development. This Policy Brief takes a broader view of women’s labour migration in ASEAN and considers both the economic and non-economic contributions that they make. Recognising that women labour migrants face gender specific challenges and barriers, this Policy Brief provides recommendations to policy-makers on how to ensure the potential of women migrant workers is maximized to benefit the individual migrant, her family and her community while avoiding simplifying women migrant workers as tools of economic development.