Experienced Challenges and Coping Strategies of Overseas Filipino Working Mothers Beyond Borders

Abstract

This study endeavors to understand the resiliency of Filipino mothers working as domestic helpers outside the country outlining their challenges and coping strategies and helped in understanding substantially the challenges and managing systems of migrant working mothers in keeping harmonious relationships with their families in terms of (a) parenting with children (b) marital responsibilities to partners (c) financial obligations. The study revealed overarching themes on challenges such as long-distance parenting, maternal separation anxiety, dissatisfied marital duties, and financial stress. In coping with these challenges, strategies like frequent computer-mediated communication, hope, and optimism, openness in communication with partners, and perseverance to work were all perceived as mediating strategies to cope with the challenges posed by separation due to working abroad among the informants. Premised on the totality of the findings, we recommend that our government agencies look into the possibility of supporting our Overseas Filipino Working mothers by granting them free quality gadgets with high internet access and the unrestricted use of technologies while working abroad to maintain uninterrupted communication with their families in the Philippines. With this, the supposed expenses for purchasing high-end gadgets and the internet would be added to the financial obligations that they usually send to the Philippines for support.