Gendering the Migration Systemin East Asia

초록

This chapter discusses the “gendering” of the international migration system in East Asia by focusing on social reproduction. Intra-Asian migration has been one of the key characteristics of the recent migration trends, as the International Organization for Migration (IOM) continues to emphasize. Building upon Huw Jones and Allan Findlay’s work, which seminally revealed East Asia’s migration patterns in terms of various socioeconomic linkages between origins and destinations, this chapter attempts to analyze the regional migration system by examining the two heavily feminized migration streams of care, labor migration and marriage migration to major East Asian destinations, in particular, South Korea and Taiwan. As major socioeconomic conditions of these migration streams, it examines significant changes in socio-demographic structure, labor market, care provision, and migration policy. By the comparison of the state responses to the seemingly coalesced issues of low fertility and care provision, it is concluded that the gendered intra-Asian migration reflects notable shifts in the care regimes of the destination countries and that, yet, the gender division of labor is sustained, if not strengthened, in this process. © 2024 selection and editorial matter, Chang Kyung-Sup, Kim Taekyoon and Lee Joonkoo; individual chapters, the contributors. All rights reserved.