Exploring the meanings and experiences of health among Filipino female household service workers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the meanings and experiences of health of Filipino female household service workers (FHSWs) in Hong Kong (HK). Design/methodology/approach – It draws theoretic insights from culture-centered approach to health communication and uses in-depth interviews and field notes. Findings – For FHSWs, meanings of health are contingent on work. Health is valued not just because it allows FHSWs to fulfill the daily demands of employers but also it provides assurance for sustained employment contracts. Relative to formal labor and migration policies, informal rules and regulations of employers put unreasonable demand for FHSWs to be healthy. Furthermore, FHSWs experience health along the themes of periphery and center, physical and non-physical, internal and external, and right and privilege. Research limitations/implications – The experiences and meanings of health reported in this paper are limited to FHSWs in HK and may differ from other countries. Employers, non-government organizations, and private and public health care personnel need to be included to generate a more nuanced discussion of migration health in HK. Practical implications – In designing health promotion for FHSWs, employers as target audience should also be considered. Originality/value – Despite growing evidence, the consequences of international and temporary labor migration on women’s health largely remain under-theorized. To date, this paper is one of the few to engage health communication theory in rethinking migration health scholarship.