(Re)making live-in or live-out choice: the lived experience of Filipina migrant domestic workers in Macao

AbstractMigrant domestic workers’ (MDWs) out-of-home flexibility and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic open up opportunities to examine the intrinsic reasons driving their decision-making in live-in/live-out patterns. Drawing upon in-depth interviews with 18 female, Filipina MDWs in Macao, the study reveals that live-in MDWs sacrifice their subjectivity to save money, whereas live-out MDWs’ create an empowering space for privacy, romantic relationships and outgoing activities with friends. However, strict surveillance during the pandemic weakened MDWs’ capacities in their home-making journey. Additionally, digital surveillance by itself does not act as the primary stimulus for Filipina MDWs to dwell outside, due to their willingness to compromise with nanny cameras and the good relations built with the employers. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that MDWs’ home-making is dynamically embedded in relational and spatial tensions, providing valuable insights into the studies on domestic work, homing and surveillance. Keywords: Empowering spaceFilipina MDWslive-in/live-outsocial-spatial relationssurveillance Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Additional informationNotes on contributorsBei JuBei Ju (PhD, University of Macau) is a Lecturer at the University of Manchester. Her research interests focus on the nexus between ICTs and migration within intercultural communication. Her articles have been published in journals including the Chinese Journal of Communication, Communication, Culture & Critique, Higher Education, and Journal of Intercultural Studies. (bei.ju@manchester.ac.uk)Xiao YangXiao Yang (PhD candidate) is studying at the Faculty of Humanities and Arts at the Macau University of Science and Technology. Her research interests are media convergence, migration and health communication. She has published her work in Editorial Friend, and presented papers in international conferences. (tigeryeung@foxmail.com)X. H. PuXiao Hong Pu (PhD, Macau University of Science and Technology) is an assistant professor at the University International College at the Macau University of Science and Technology. Her research interest is gambling psychology and behaviour, education, addictions, quality of life and cross-cultural communication. Her work has appeared in the Journal of Gambling Studies, the Chinese Mental Health Journal, and the Chinese Journal of School Health. (xhpu@must.edu.mo)T. L. SandelTodd Sandel (PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) is an associate professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Macau. His research is in the areas of Chinese language and culture and particularly in the area of Chinese Social Media with recent publications in Language & Communication, Chinese Journal of Communication, and the Journal of Pragmatics. He is the author of Brides on Sale, immediate past editor of the Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, and associate editor of the International Encyclopedia of Language and Social Interaction. (tlsandel@um.edu.mo)