Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Maid to Order
The end of Ehrenreich's essay taught me how central labor is to building valuable, equal and respectable relationships among family members. Given the transition of this country into a servant-oriented economy, how can these valuable relationships be preserved? Also, if the economy continues in the same direction, what will happen to American values and relationships in the family? While ostensibly liberating for white middle class women, it is clear that outsourcing household labor does not challenge patriarchy and its resulting gender roles, but rather perpetuates them even further through the employment of poor working class women of color. So what are alternatives to defeat patriarchy? Even with the liberation of white middle class women, white, middle class males are still dominant.
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The extension of female subordination by labor has instead been shifted from the confined and victimized housewife to having her husband's power exerted over her through a mess left. The issue seems to turn more to class and race, is this connected to the stereotype of poor, ethnic male laborers as gardeners and groundskeepers? This has perpetuated, even in the most demeaning of terms, the theme of women as keepers of the house and men as laborers of the outside, productive world.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as the economy has suffered many cannot afford this luxury of a maid. Will this increase the likelihood of the jobs of independent, undocumented cleaners slipping into slavery? If there is no place authority to enforce the contract of labor, what will happen to the women who cannot afford to give a percentage of their commission to supplies and an agency?