Introduction to Sociology Essay

1. The Philippines is one of the third world countries in the world. This means that the country belongs to some of the poorest countries compared to the United States and the United Kingdom. People who live in third world countries are not necessarily all poor. Some of them are also rich and have their own businesses. These people can eat more than three times a day, send their children to private schools, and enjoy the luxuries that their money can buy. However, majority of the people in third world countries are poor. Some are homeless. Many have no source of income and therefore cannot provide for their families. It is not surprising that many people choose to go to first world countries like the United States to work for better opportunities. For Vicky, there is no doubt that the decision to find work in a foreign country was hard. She has her own family with a husband and two children to take care of. She left her family to earn money for the family. Although she did have a job in the Philippines, this was not enough to take care of the family’s financial needs. She did not want to be separated from her family but she needed to travel because she knew that if she stayed in the Philippines, her family will suffer. Vicky is not alone in this kind of situation. The Philippines is one of the most known countries who have the greatest number of overseas workers because of the situation in their country. They try to find work not only in the United States but also in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Financial need is the number one reason for them to work outside the country. 2. Because Vicky is not a native of the United States, it is most likely that she will experience some difficulties while working here. First, she might encounter discrimination due to her color and race. Although the United States is a very diverse country, discrimination still exists in its society at some point. Vicky might be looked down upon because of her color and her nationality. She might be discriminated because she is not able to communicate in English as fluently as the natives can. The United States government tries hard to make sure that discrimination does not exist in its society today. However, there are still a few who think that they are better just because of their color and race. Vicky might feel discouraged when she experiences discrimination from the natives of this country. She might also have an impression that Americans are not hospitable and welcoming and that working here is not worth it after all. Secondly, Vicky might encounter problems with her immigran t status. There are many employers who do not like to hire people who are not natives of the country because they do not trust them and believe of what they can do as workers. She might also have problems when her visa expires. The United States embassy is quite strict in allowing people in their country because they want to avoid terrorist attacks and other unwanted situations that foreigners can bring in the country. Another difficulty that Vicky might experience is the competition for the employment opportunities. Aside from the competition with the locals, Vicky might also have to compete with the opposite sex for the job that she wants. Some employers prefer to hire males because they believe that males are stronger and much more capable of the work needed to get done. This lessens Vicky’s chances of choosing a job that suits her the most and the job that she thinks would reward her the most in terms of salary and income. These are only some of the setbacks that Vicky might encount er while working in the United States. When one looks at the situation, it can be seen that Vicky and all other overseas workers are the ones who suffer the most. They enter a foreign country without any familiar face. They have to adapt to certain rules and norms of the country’s society. They have to learn how to get along with strangers just to keep their jobs. They have to endure problems like discrimination and competition. Aside from these things, they suffer from being away from their home and families. They get homesick but do not mind this just to be able to send money to their homeland. They take care of other people’s families and children but are not able to take care of their own children. All these they have to endure just for their families have a better life back in their homeland. 3. People from third world countries will not be able to think of leaving their families to go to another country if there are no available jobs in these foreign countries. Â  In economic terms, there would be no supply of workers if there is no demand for them. Vicky would not have thought of going here if there were no couples who need her services. Americans are very success-driven people, which is why they work hard day and night even if this means having less time for their families. Work is very important for them. At times, one job is not even enough and they search for second jobs to earn for the family. This requires them to look for people who can take care of their children while they are at work. While they certainly can avail the services of day care centers, many parents do not want to leave their children in these centers because of overcrowding and fear of their children contracting diseases from other children. It is also better to hire a private nanny who can focus on their children on a constant basis. Day care centers have limited staff and there are times when the staff cannot attend to the needs of each child because there are just too much of them. Vicky, as a private nanny, can stay at home with them and do other household chores when the child does not need taking care of. Having one private nanny can also mean that the nanny can focus on the child’s growth and development at all times. The nanny can act as a second parent to the child when the parents are not at home. Her educational background and previous work experience might also contribute to her employment. Parents would want to hire people who know how to handle their kids and the household when they are gone. They want someone who can be trusted. Vicky’s experience as a school teacher can help her get employed because this means that she knows how to handle children. In addition, the fact that she is a mother of two children herself means that she has enough experience in taking care of children and rec ognizing their needs and wants. If these dual-career Beverly Hills couples choose to hire Vicky, they would certainly be lucky and benefit from it because of her qualifications. It is not everyday that school teachers from other countries apply for a housekeeper or a nanny. This would also be beneficial for the parents because hiring Vicky would cost less than enrolling their children in a day care center. 4. Transnational migrants are those people who belong to two or more societies at the same time. Although Vicky does not really own any property while in the United States, she can be considered as a transnational migrant because she belongs to two different societies at the same time. She is still a Filipino citizen and will most likely take vacations in the Philippines if her employers allowed it. She still practices the different cultures and traditions of the Filipino culture while in and outside of her home country. This may not be obvious but she nevertheless still does it. At the same time, living and working in the United States requires her to adapt to the customs of the country to fit in. She would learn the language, the government, and the people of the United States. She is employed here and is receiving monetary income, which makes her a part of the society. Even if she does not really want to, she still has to do it because this will make it easier for her to live in a foreign country.