Sexuality and Discipline among Filipina Domestic Workers in Hong Kong

Abstract

Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong are viewed as sexually threatening and thus in need of strict discipline. In this article I present and analyze the discourse on the sexuality of Filipina domestic workers, arguing that their reputation is linked primarily to their ambiguous social and class identities, and to broad changes in the familial and economic landscape of Hong Kong. Clothing serves as one forum in which sexuality is expressed, discipline is enacted and resisted, and various forms of power are exercised, [sexuality, Filipina domestic workers, discipline, resistance, clothing, Hong Kong].