Producing Scientific Motherhood: State-led Neoliberal Modernization and Nannies' Subjectivity in Contemporary China

Abstract

This paper uses the perspective of “state-led neoliberal modernization” to explore the collusion of the state and the market in the construction of scientific motherhood and its effect on rural nannies in China. It claims that the state and the market work together to shape rural nannies’ modern subjectivity in the neoliberal economy through the commercial training programme of scientific motherhood. Based on a case study in Shanghai, this paper argues that the training for scientific motherhood attempts to transform rural women into modern care workers through two mechanisms: reconstructing recognition and mobilizing emotion. Rather than passively receiving the training, nannies use their agency to adjust the knowledge and practice of scientific motherhood to suit their complicated working situation. Their strategies include deploying scientific knowledge flexibly and instrumentally, practising self-restraint in limited intimacy, and paying attention to their own familial investment.

Subjective Perception of Work and the Home Care Workers’ Depression

“…Furthermore, workers’ subjective perception of their care work plays a more important role in their mental health. This result is consistent with the previous finding that home care workers might have a positive experience of their work because they find social meaning in their care work [ 14 ]. However, working environment is not associated with workers’ depression levels, which is different from the previous results found regarding caregivers in other countries [ 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 ].…”

“…A large-scale random-sample survey of domestic workers conducted in 2019 revealed that only 1.6% of care workers in Beijing have labor contracts [ 10 , 11 ]. Other studies show that these female rural migrant care workers usually work overtime, lack leisure time, and sometimes have to face abuse from clients [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. Although scholars have paid attention to these female rural migrant care workers’ working conditions and relationships with their clients, the mental health of these workers has not received attention from scholars.…”

“…Discrimination from clients also contributes to the caregiver’s depression levels [ 28 ]. In contrast, having good relationships with clients might relieve caregivers’ stress levels [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. In addition, caregivers’ social relations with their friends or their community might provide social support for them to cope with stress and anxiety [ 27 ].…”

“…Second, their relationships with their clients are also different from those that the care receivers have with their family members who provide care. In contrast to family members who engage in care work, rural migrant women who provide commercial care work usually face discrimination from care receivers [ 13 , 14 ]. Furthermore, the informality of home care workers also leads to precariousness in their daily life.…”

“…Furthermore, the informality of home care workers also leads to precariousness in their daily life. Studies show that some rural migrant families encounter strong economic burden [ 8 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 ]. However, the differences have not received enough attention from scholars, as there are very few empirical studies that examine the factors that are associated with the level of depression of these rural migrant women.…”