This article examines the increasing international migration of women who seek domestic service jobs in Turkey. Drawing upon the case of immigrant women domestic workers from post-socialist nations in two Turkish metropolitan areas, Istanbul and Ankara; I show that migrant networks were central to the emergence of Turkey as a domestic worker importing country. Burdened by family survival due to the lack of life chances at home, women of post-socialist countries were motivated by wage differentials, and emigrants supportive roles in arranging their travel and recruitment. In addition, lack of successful immigration policies for the reception of immigrants led to the institutionalization of informal recruiters as the key actors in mediating the employment of these women. Based on in-depth interviews, the migration decision process and post-migration experiences of immigrant domestic workers are described in this article. © 2007 Mediterranean Institute.

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