This thesis examines social networks and gender roles among domestic workers who are
rural-to-urban female migrants in Vietnam. Using qualitative data collected from 10 indepth
interviews and one focus group with 17 domestic workers and one interview with a
NGO staff member, I argue that networks and gender are closely linked as migrant
women drew support from their circles of female friends and families yet these networks
also constrained them by monitoring behaviours against rigid gender expectations and
ideal womanly virtues. My findings show that while most migrant women continued to
adhere to their traditional gender roles and overcame many difficulties in order to fulfill
their domestic obligations, their new earning power also enhanced their status in their
families and communities. Lastly, this study places migrant women within a broader
context of a country in transition and draws attention to the agency they exercised before,
during and after the migration process.