In the recent years, Filipino women have been migrating in flocks to neighboring countries, despite and because of the Asian economic crisis. Push factors for women in the Philippines are numerous. There is also increasing trend in casualization of labour among big companies, mostly victimizing women workers. The severe economic burden experienced by women, in connection with their roles within the family and status within society, compels women to work abroad. Another push factor is the alarming extent of domestic violence.
Many women tend to escape violence in the homes by migrating either to work or to marry.
This view takes root from feudal thinking that daughters are to pay for the family's debt. All these contribute to the continuing feminization of overseas employment. Women workers from the Philippines are mostly single and young, with more than half belonging to the age group 20-29. It should be mentioned that the Philippine government considers overseas employment as a development strategy, being a major source of dollar reserves and a relief to the severe unemployment problem. In fact, a law has been passed seeking the deregulation of the recruitment industry, which spells greater risks for many women already targeted by unscrupulous recruiting agencies.