In Chile the figure is 85% for Peruvian women, and it is as high as 87% for Colombian women working in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This is significant, first, because it means that these women are financially responsible for their children and, second, because it is palpable evidence of the relative nature of the autonomy that leads women to decide to migrate alone, leaving their children behind in their countiy of origin (Martinez Pizarro, 2006). The problem lies in the lack of protection and the discrimination that these women face at work -making them even more vulnerable, especially if they are undocumented. In most cases there is a combination of factors, including residency status (documented or undocumented), countiy of origin, ethnicity, length of residence in the destination country, language proficiency and education level.