Does Absence Make the Heart Grow Fonder? An Exploratory Study of the Marital Quality of Filipina Domestic Helpers in Hong Kong

Abstract

In an increasingly globalized world, foreign domestic helpers have become a common phenomenon in many regions. These sojourner migrants are often women from developing countries who leave their families to become guest workers in wealthier societies. Labouring in the shadows of their host countries, foreign domestic workers have been similarly rather neglected in migration studies. This research explores the case of Filipina foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong and focuses on a fundamental component of well-being which is the quality of their marital relationship. Being physically separated from their husbands usually for several years, qualitative interviews reveal negatively impacted marital quality sometimes including major communication difficulties, emotional detachment, financial management, and marital infidelity. Our research identifies several coping strategies including focusing on shifting remittance management to children and extended family, obtaining help from extended family members, and satisficing based on religious faith. The widespread availability of video calling using smartphones apparently does not adequately compensate for being physically distant in marital relations for this group of Filipina domestic workers.