conflict at work
Immigrant women experience various cultural differences and
discrimination at work while doing their jobs. They especially made
references to how most of them work in 3D industries which Koreans avoid
because they are foreign laborers. Also, Koreans are relatively more
intensive than immigrant people and think of long work hours as natural
but this gave immigrant women a hard time.
I work from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. I am not the only one. There aren’t many
immigrants who come here and do good things. I work in the 3D industry
doing so-called hard and dirty work. For example, young people work in
companies, men work in the field, more educated people work in places
like instructors and trading companies, and women in their 40s and 50s
work as housekeepers, restaurants, etc. (participant 2)
I worked as an accountant at a travel agency in the Philippines, and the
working hours were shorter than here, about 8 hours. Because I can have
my own time outside of work, I was able to meet my friends and have a
good time. However, working life in Korea is not like that. My most
dissatisfaction is that I am physically very tired and do not have time
to be alone because I work almost 12 hours a day or more. (participant
5)
In addition, discrimination is more demanding for women who immigrate
from the same workplace or easier for Koreans. Korean workers sometimes
disparaged their behavior. In severe participants, migrant women were
not paid in full or at all even if their working hours were extended.
There are participants where Korean customers treat me too recklessly or
look down on me because I’m not good at talking when I work. At times
like that, I feel disgusted, and when I think about paying other Korean
employees but delaying me, the boss is annoyed and hates Korea.
(participant 3)
Now I work at a restaurant, but there are many difficulties and low
salaries. Wages are lower than Koreans. I sometimes get scolded for
eating while working in a restaurant. Even if he ate the same amount as
Koreans, he said, ”Did you starve like a beggar in Vietnam?”
(participant 8)