Gender and Unauthorized International Labor Recruitment and Migration from Northern Thailand

Teresa R. Sobieszczyk, University of Montana

Drawing on institutional migration theory, this paper develops a gendered analysis of the unauthorized international labor migration institution in Northern Thailand. Based on findings from in-depth interviews with returned migrant workers, recruiters, and government officials, the paper presents two conceptual models developed to help explain the main methods of unauthorized labor recruitment employed by Northern Thai migrants. ‘Direct pay’ unauthorized migrants pay for their recruitment at the time of migration, while ‘debt bondage’ unauthorized migrants work off recruitment costs with the overseas employer after arrival in the destination country. The two modes of recruitment are compared, focusing on the ways recruitment experiences and the relative power of migrants in the recruitment relationship vary by gender. Several factors shaping men’s and women’s recruitment choices are examined, including gendered labor demand among overseas employers, financial resources available to potential migrants prior to departure, previous international migration experiences, and differences in social networks.