Women in Comparative Societies

Housework in the Global Economy

“Maid to Order,” by Barbara Ehrenreich and “Just Another Job? The Commodification of Domestic Labor,” by Bridget Anderson, in Global Woman

Two chapters, two work regimes for providing housework

Ehrenreich’s chpt: “Taylorization” of housework (with elements of Fordism)

Anderson’s chpt: live-in, usually (illegal) migrants

Describe each model

Taylorism – “scientific management” to maximize efficiency

Fordism – standardization, tools/division of labor

Breaking down every house, area, task

Standardizing each task to be performed (top to bottom, left to right; how much water, soap, etc.)

Assigning different members of the “team” to do each function

Click on photo for example of “scientific approach” cleaning

Making it “professional,” contractual, a service to be performed, impersonal

Note: the kind of uniforms chosen

The Live-In

A trend for the British middle class now

The Ideal for the Live-In: “part of the family”

Usually exchange room and board for part or most of the wages**

This makes it an attractive option to migrants who often need housing

As part of their employment

When childcare duties are part of the bargain, the emphasis is on the caring, maternal qualities sought in the care giver

Yet, the very intimacy of the relationship often becomes an excuse to pay late and stretch duties/time on the clock

Leads to abuses: no time off, at beckon call of employer, late pay

Worse cases: psychological, physical, sexual abuse

Denied food, medical attention

Wages withheld, legal documents taken from them

Held prisoner

Anderson points out: even in best of cases, the power disparity between employer and employee leaves a lot of room for abuse

Employers tend to see themselves as being “charitable” or gracious for giving “these people” a place in their homes, “treating them like family’

Anderson calls this “maternalism”

The employer having the power to be “charitable” and the employee treated as a child: inferior, ignorant, needing guidance, discipline, etc.

Families say they want someone who will be “part of the family” but then become jealous when their children become closer to the nanny, spend more time with her than with them

Often leads to recriminations, firing, severing the very ties they sought to create

Discussion Questions:

What is just or unjust about the housework regimes described in these chapters?

What is a just way of hiring someone to do housework? Child-care?

What can be done to protect workers from exploitation, abuse? Consider both native-born as well as migrant workers.