Advocacy for women migrant workers in Malaysia through an intersectionality lens

Abstract

Analysing labour migration through the lens of intersectionality provides valuable insights into the complex identities of women migrant workers and the multiple discriminations they struggle with. Intersectionality advocates argue that only through adopting such an approach can women’s multiple discriminations be challenged. Drawing on a case study of seven non-governmental organisations and one focus group of women migrant workers in a non-Western context, Malaysia, we explore how advocacy organisations understand, interpret and adopt an intersectional approach in advancing the rights of its women migrant workers. We show that there are challenges, specific to the local context, which reduce the likelihood of organisations doing so. The Malaysian experience likely has significance for similar advocacy in other Asian countries.