This paper is about the impact and repercussions of the Global Care Chain.
It is not easy to take care of another family while one's own family, just as much, needs a mother, a daughter, or a wife. However, sometimes the circumstances do not leave room for any other option, which is the case for many women worldwide. They find themselves in a so-called "Global Care Chain", a term coined by Arlie Hochschild that is now considered an important analytic category for the worldwide increasing feminisation of migration. There is a grand link between globalisation, care, and migration. The latter has alleviated various labour shortages in the private and public health sectors.
In doing so, uneven dependencies and labor exploitation are accompanied. This concept falls prey to many critics because it reproduces inequalities by redistributing care resources, particularly emotional care labour, from those in poorer countries for consumption by those in richer ones. Regardless of the critique, it is still widely spread because of migrant workers' economic dependency. This paper will provide a deep insight into the concept of the Global Care Chain. It will address the inequalities it is linked to while looking at its impact regarding its social costs and its repercussions on family and children.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Terminology
3. The Global Care Chain
4. Repercussions
5. Calls for Change
6. Conclusion
Objectives and Topics
This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the "Global Care Chain" concept, examining the systemic inequalities, economic dependencies, and profound social costs faced by migrant women and their families in the domestic care sector.
- The theoretical definition and scope of care work in a globalized economy.
- Structural causes for the increasing reliance on migrant domestic labor.
- Economic and social impacts on families in both host and donor countries.
- The emotional and developmental burden placed on children separated from their migrant mothers.
- Proposed strategies for professionalizing care work and ensuring fair labor conditions.
Excerpt from the Book
3. The Global Care Chain
Arlie Hochschild coined the term Global Care Chain to describe an arrangement between families in which women from poorer countries leave their own families to care for children or elderly people of "well-off families" (Nadasen 124). Yeates (2012) presents in detail a common difficulty women have to face, namely:
By migrating to take up paid domestic labour the migrant woman finds herself unable to discharge her own 'domestic duties' because she is geographically distant from her children and her home, creating a need for someone else to do so. That person – often another woman – is drawn from an even poorer household in the sending country or she may be a member of the migrant woman's own family. (137)
Thus, the concept of a Global Care Chain creates "a series of personal links between people across the globe based on the paid or unpaid work of caring" (Hochschild 131). Consequently, those who take care of other women's children while working abroad do unpaid work there and are "caught up at the bottom end of the global Care Chain" (Base, Harcourt & Zarro 15). However, that woman still receives some sort of remittance, which will be a topic in the forthcoming chapter. Generally, global care work deals with the side of the care workers who work in a different country and the children and families that have been left behind. This paper will also give insights into both sides. Before proceeding, the following paragraph will answer why there has been an increase in hiring migrant workers.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the Global Care Chain as an analytical category for the feminization of migration and addresses the associated inequalities and social costs.
2. Terminology: This section defines the scope of care work, distinguishing between intimate personal services and general maintenance work, while critiquing the devaluation of care labor in a market-driven economy.
3. The Global Care Chain: This chapter explores the transnational arrangement where women migrate to provide care, creating a complex series of personal links across the globe.
4. Repercussions: This chapter examines the economic motivations for migration and the negative consequences, such as care deficits in donor countries and the emotional burden on families.
5. Calls for Change: This chapter discusses necessary improvements, including fair remuneration, legal protections, and safer working conditions for migrant caregivers.
6. Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the systemic failures regarding the treatment of migrant caregivers and emphasizes the urgent need for standardization and improved recognition of their vital work.
Keywords
Global Care Chain, migration, migrant domestic workers, care work, transnationalism, social costs, remittances, gender inequality, feminization of migration, labor exploitation, care deficit, family separation, employment rights, neoliberalism, care economy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this paper?
The paper explores the concept of the "Global Care Chain," analyzing how care responsibilities are shifted globally and the resulting impacts on migrant women and the families they leave behind.
What are the central themes discussed?
The central themes include the commodification of care, the economic dependence of migrant workers, the emotional impact on separated children, and the structural causes of the global demand for care labor.
What is the main objective or research question?
The objective is to provide a deep insight into the Global Care Chain, addressing the inequalities it creates and examining its repercussions on family structures and social welfare.
Which scientific method is used in this work?
The work utilizes a comprehensive literature review and theoretical analysis of established sociological concepts from scholars such as Arlie Hochschild and Nicola Yeates.
What is covered in the main body of the text?
The main body covers the definition of terminology, the mechanics of the Global Care Chain, the social and economic repercussions of the migration of care, and potential policy changes for better labor conditions.
What characterize this study?
The study is characterized by a critical approach to market ideologies, a focus on transnational domestic labor, and an emphasis on the intersection of migration and gender studies.
How does the "care deficit" impact donor countries?
The "care deficit" implies that developing nations lose their skilled health and care workers to wealthier countries, leading to a "desertification" of care in the countries of origin.
Why are migrant domestic workers often considered vulnerable?
They are vulnerable because they often work in the privatized, unregulated sector, lack documentation, and fear deportation, which prevents them from resisting exploitation or demanding better conditions.
What role do remittances play in the Global Care Chain?
Remittances serve as a crucial economic lifeline for the families left behind, used to pay for education, healthcare, and basic needs, though they also highlight the workers' role as the primary economic providers.
- Quote paper
- Cerin Saado (Author), 2022, The Impact and Repercussions of the Global Care Chain, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1215777
