Globalization

What is Globalization?

Globalization can be defined as a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development, and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world (Ashley 2009). 1One of the important indicators from globalization is the people movement and transport. 

In the case of Hong Kong...

As Hong Kong Chinese becoming wealthier and the availability of local workers decreased, Indonesian domestic helpers with temporary visas to enter Hong Kong can meet the demand. Globalization has drawn the Indonesian domestic helpers from less fortunate region to Hong Kong for them to earn more money. It was not until the 1990s the Indonesian domestic helpers gain popularity among Hong Kong employers, for the reason that they are perceived as less troublesome in comparing with other nationality of domestic helpers. In recent years, the latest census conducted by the Census and Statistics Department of Hong Kong (2006) has also shown that domestic helpers make up approximately two-thirds of the city’s non-Chinese population.

How did globalization affect domestic helpers' linguistic repertoire?

Transnational flow of labor is a signal of globalization, with its promising opportunity and money returned, people in less developed countries would eagerly hope to work in more developed places. This flow allowed people to come into contact with more different kinds of languages. They have the chance to learn and use them. However, not all the languages are weighted with equal importance. Like Cantonese, Indonesian helpers merely treat it as a tool for completing their routine work.

Why Indonesian and Filipino domestic helpers are preferred?

Given the fact that mainland Chinese are more communicative, mainland Chinese domestic helpers are not considered as a preference in fear that they would integrate into Hong Kong community and become permanent local residents during the 1908s and early 1990s. After reunification with China in 1997, Hong Kong becomes more defensive about the intrusion of mainland Chinese. At the same time, Chinese government officials also opposed mainland women to work as domestic helper which is seen as low-class. They did not want to create the impression of China as “third world” country.

1.Benedict, A. G. , 2009-01-07 "Richard Falk: Savior of Globalization" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Southern Political Science Association, Hotel Intercontinental, New Orleans, LA Online . 2011-03-11 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p281992_index.html