The authors talk about the
increasing migration of women from poor countries to a more developed
industrial country to be nannies, maids or sex workers. The author uses the word “globalization” to
describe a worldwide gender revolution. These women migrate to do the “women’s
work” of the north.
According to the author, the
earning power of most men has declined since 1970 in the United States. Therefore, many women have joined the workforce
to “make the difference” to sustain their family. The roles have changed where
you would expect the women to stay home and wait for her husband to come from a
long day of work. Since the women from wealthy countries are now working, they no
longer have time to clean the house, cook or take care of the children thus
hiring a maid/nanny is the solution to such problems. The person who is bound
to take the household tasks will likely be a woman who comes from an
impoverished country, such as the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and India. I agree
with the authors view. This is all too common where my parents are from. My
mother grew up in a very poor region in Mexico. In order for her family to make
a living and survive, a few of my mother’s sisters had to go to the capital to
find jobs as maids. Once they acquired those jobs, their duty was to send their
earnings to the family. My mother herself was a maid at the age of 15.
Many of these women who leave their
families to work as maids only do it to better their children’s lives. The
irony I find is that these women leave their family to take care of another.
The author points out the story of Josephina. In order to take care of her
children financially she has to go to Greece. Her three children are
emotionally unstable yet the family Josephina works for has one child who is
getting the attention of both parents plus Josephina. Another irony I find is
the use of the word “liberation” used by the author to describe the women who
are leaving their home to work. How are these women considered liberated if
they are doing “women’s work”? They are trapped in the same cycle. It is the
cycle of cleaning, cooking and babysitting. It could also mean that they feel
liberated because they are going to work therefore feel satisfaction for being
the breadwinner of the family.
This picture depicts a maid who is
being stepped on. This can have many meanings, but the most important one is
the abuse a maid can experience. This picture is taken for a website that
protects the abuse of migrant women. The group is called Migrant Care. They aim
to track down potential victims of human trafficking. The article by Barbara
and Arlie mention about the little media attention they give to migrant
workers. Some women experience abuse but
are unable to seek help because everything is kept “behind doors.” The online
article discusses some stories where maids are mistreated. For example, in Hong
Kong, a woman ‘employer’ was convicted of beating her Indonesian maid, denying
her food and confiscating her passport. Foreign workers take a huge risk in
order to provide for their families back home.
http://www.anzrath.com/news-blog/indonesian-maid-detectives-are-on-a-mission-to-save-women-from-trafficking
Will this pattern persist in 100 years from now? There needs to be stricter laws to protect our foreign workers.
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