This paper examines the perceptions and experiences of Korean migrant women in the labour market in Australia. Dominant discourse suggests that migrants from non-English speaking background (NESB hereafter) experience barriers or difficulties in participating in the labour market, when compared to their English-speaking counterparts. This suggests that English language proficiency is a primary determinant in assessing the employability of any migrant. However, the use of NESB migrants as a tool to explain unemployment and underemployment is deceptive, and de-emphasises the complex interplay of other discriminatory elements. That is, the English language barrier involves more than a proficiency of grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary: it involves thinking, sounding and looking like a white, English tertiary-educated middle-class male. The paper also demonstrates that while many Korean women are in fact sufficiently skilled in the English language to enter the labour market, they nevertheless experiences a sense of inferiority about their English language capacity which discourages them from entering, and limits their opportunities to fully participate. This research employs recently emerging narrative analysis techniques that focus on the life stories of Korean migrant women to identify, explore and test current conceptions of barriers for NESB migrant women in accessing the labour market as presented in academic discourse.
This paper examines the perceptions and experiences of Korean migrant women in the labour market in Australia. Dominant discourse suggests that migrants from non-English speaking background (NESB hereafter) experience barriers or difficulties in participating in the labour market, when compared to their English-speaking counterparts. This suggests that English language proficiency is a primary determinant in assessing the employability of any migrant. However, the use of NESB migrants as a tool to explain unemployment and underemployment is deceptive, and de-emphasises the complex interplay of other discriminatory elements. That is, the English language barrier involves more than a proficiency of grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary: it involves thinking, sounding and looking like a white, English tertiary-educated middle-class male. The paper also demonstrates that while many Korean women are in fact sufficiently skilled in the English language to enter the labour market, they nevertheless experiences a sense of inferiority about their English language capacity which discourages them from entering, and limits their opportunities to fully participate. This research employs recently emerging narrative analysis techniques that focus on the life stories of Korean migrant women to identify, explore and test current conceptions of barriers for NESB migrant women in accessing the labour market as presented in academic discourse.
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