At the Limits of 'Capability': The sexual and reproductive health of women migrant workers in Malaysia

Seminar abstract

Despite the centrality of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) to UN Sustainable Development Goals, women migrant workers in Malaysia face an environment inimical to their SRH needs.

Drawing on qualitative case study material, the researchers present the first empirical application of the Capability Approach (CA) to explore the reproductive health needs of women migrant workers in a developing country, offering an original analysis of the capability for SRH of these women.

Specifically, this presentation explores the resources available to them; their opportunities and freedoms (capabilities); and factors which mediate transformation of resources in capabilities (conversion factors).

While SRH information and contraception is notionally available, women migrant workers face multiple challenge in converting resources into capabilities - including language barriers, personal beliefs, power relations between workers / employers and the consequences of current migration policy.

The researchers consider the scale of the challenges facing these women in securing SRH rights, the difficulties of operationalising the CA within such a setting, and the implications of their findings for the adequacy of the CA model in supporting such marginalised populations.

Booking

This event is free to attend with no need to book in advance. We warmly invite you to share with friends, colleagues and classmates.

Join this seminar on Wednesday 10 February 2021 at 1pm

Speaker bios

Dr Tim Freeman

Tim's research interests relate broadly to health care governance and policy. 

Current and recent funded projects include policy development (UN Women) and service (British Council) supporting the reproductive health needs of women migrant workers within Malaysia, and the governance of patient safety within the NHS in England (NIHR).

He is also engaged in participatory policy-making to address the welfare challenges of low-waged and low-skilled migrant workers in the UK.

Dr Lilian Miles

Lilian's interests lie in exploring labour regulation and employment relations in developing countries.

Her work focuses on how working conditions for workers (especially women workers) in these contexts can be improved. She has investigated the effectiveness of Corporate Codes of Conduct, unions and NGOs in improving working conditions in several Asian countries.

More recently, she has led research projects, funded by UN Women, UN Gender Theme Group Malaysia and the British Council and to investigate how sexual and reproductive health needs of local women and women migrant workers in Malaysia can be met.