Zuzu Ramirez on “Introduction” to Global Woman: Nannies, Maids and Sex Workers in the New Economy

        One of the author’s points is that “the lifestyles of the First World are made possible by a global transfer of the services associated with a wife’s traditional role...from poor countries to rich ones.” This means that women in poor countries are who make it possible for women in rich countries to live their lives.
        I thought her main point was interesting because it was something I never took into consideration. I always knew immigrant women are typically those who fill domestic working role but I didn’t realize it’s what makes it possible for wealthier women to have the lives they do. This is because it’s often never portrayed that way in the media. In every show or movie I have seen with a maid or live in nanny, the family treats them like family and the woman often plays a major role in the family’s well being. While it used to be expected to have a POC actor portraying the maid/nanny/gardener/etc, the person is now often portrayed as white. This is because the media works to dismiss the idea that this kind of work is a race issue. Now, portraying ‘the help’ as an immigrant is seen as an offensive stereotype, yet people don’t realize it’s a reality for many people.
        Another major thing that came to mind in regards to this argument is the idea that the feminist advancement of one group of women leads to the oppression of another group. This is very evident here because of the blatant statement that the poor women’s work is what betters the rich women’s lives. The rich women feel empowered and free by the capability to live their lives without being forced into the societally expected role of housewife, yet they then employ another woman who needs the income into that exact role they abandoned. While these women probably did not intend to oppress another group through their liberation, it happened, and shows that feminism for a designated group actually does not help progress all women.
        Going back to the media, I immediately thought of how maids in television shows are typically hispanic/latinx. Coincidentally with the new season out, I’ve been rewatching Will&Grace (1998) and the way immigrant help is portrayed makes me cringe. Deportation is a punchline, culture is a thing to be mocked, verbal abuse towards them is seen as a joke, and they’re essentially slaves to the rich. The main maid, Rosario, is the only parental role in the lives of the children she cares for and manages the house, while her employer who constantly verbally abuses her is out partying and shopping. But, because her employer calls her family and a close friend, it’s dismissed because she’s apparently providing Rosario with a better life than she would have in her home country.

        A question I have is whether there is a proven effect on a child’s development if a maid/nanny raised them in place of their mother?