Conclusion: when is a worker not a worker? Tackling the contradictions of au pairing
Cox, Rosie (2014) Conclusion: when is a worker not a worker? Tackling the contradictions of au pairing. In: Cox, Rosie (ed.) Au Pairs' Lives in Global Context: Sisters or Servants? Migration, Diasporas and Citizenship. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, pp. 235-249. ISBN 9781137377470.
Abstract
Book synopsis: Au pairs have traditionally been thought of as middle-class young women from Northern Europe, who are having a fun gap year in a foreign country. This collection, the first dedicated to examining the lives of au pairs, reveals that this is far from the whole story. Au pairing is now a global phenomenon and au pairs are just as likely to come from Asia and Latin America as from Sweden or France. They are an increasingly important form of very low waged, often unregulated, childcare and domestic labour enabling tens of thousands of families to meet the demands of both work and home life. Despite the importance of the work that they do, au pairs are not recognized as workers and are often excluded from even the most basic protections, such as a minimum wage. As young migrants living inside their employers' homes they are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Metadata
Item Type: | Book Section |
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School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences |
Research Centres and Institutes: | Mapping Maternal Subjectivities, Identities and Ethics (MAMSIE), Gender and Sexuality, Birkbeck (BiGS) |
Depositing User: | Administrator |
Date Deposited: | 21 Oct 2015 13:17 |
Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:19 |
URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/13145 |
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