Employment Rights and Challenges in a New Country: Women Healthcare Workers from Southeast Asia to Japan

Women from Southeast Asia have begun working as professional nurses and certified care workers in Japan. The majority of them are female nurses and care workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam who migrated to work in Japan under the Economic Partnership Agreement legal framework since 2008. Others are privately arrived long-residing immigrants from Thailand and the Philippines. What challenges and problems do these women healthcare workers experience before and after migrating to work in Japan? Which law and regulation affect their work and family life both back home and in the county they work? What legal and cultural knowledge should these women workers have for their better career and living? This study introduces the female migrant healthcare workers’ experiences with legal and other regulatory information and interviews with specialists. Analyses suggest the needs for legal (re-)arrangements and needs to promote education for both migrant workers and policy makers. This research contributes to the literature in sociology of healthcare, women’s employment rights, and globalization of work.