The Macrosociology of Paid Domestic Labor

Abstract

This chapter examines the importance of growing class inequality as a driver of employment growth in paid domestic labor by drawing on macrosociological, rather than microsociological, literature. More specifically, it considers what explains variation in the proportion of the labor force employed in paid domestic labor over time and space. After comparing the microsociology of paid domestic labor with the modernization theory and the macrosociology of domestic labor, the chapter analyzes the 1990 census data for the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the United States. It shows that income inequality is a significant predictor of the proportion of women workers employed in domestic labor, as was the case in the 1980s in southern California. It also attributes the expansion of employment in paid domestic work in the late twentieth century to widening class inequality, including inequality among women.

Wage differentials within a female‐dominated occupation: Domestic workers in informal and flexible jobs in Portugal

“…Finally, the substandard conditions of domestic workers are severely aggravated by the nature of their workplace. Work in a private household fosters social isolation, invisibility and lack of regulation, making domestic workers even more vulnerable to exploitation (Milkman, Reese and Roth, 1998).…”

“…Domestic work is a female-dominated occupation, which implies that wages are lower than in occupations normally dominated by men (England, 1992;Perales, 2013). However, gender is not the only issue, as the intersectional approach adopted highlights the manner in which race, citizenship, social origin and migration interconnect to reinforce disadvantages (Milkman, Reese and Roth, 1998). The research found that wage setting in domestic work is far from straightforward.…”

Can Public Policies Bring about the Democratization of the Outsourcing of Household Tasks?

“…Delegated tasks are clearly devalued and considered "dirty work" (Hughes 1962;Walzer 1984). Outsourcing therefore corresponds to the denial of an equitable division of labor and involves inequalities that are deeper than just income differences (Cohen 1991;Milkman et al 1998;Anderson 2007;Romero 2002;Collins 2006). The service relationship stemming from outsourcing housework is not the result of a straightforward economic exchange between equal individuals, but rather a hierarchic relation between people with different statuses, including in terms of access to citizenship and social benefits (Tronto 2002).…”

“…A same correlation between inequalities and frequency of domestic jobs was obtained from a comparison of U.S. cities (Milkman et al 1998).…”

Diferencias salariales en una ocupación mayoritariamente femenina. El trabajo doméstico informal y flexible en Portugal

“…Se trata de una ocupación típicamente femenina, con salarios inferiores a los que se perciben en las ocupaciones desempeñadas mayoritariamente por hombres (England, 1992;Perales, 2013). Ahora bien, la interseccionalidad del enfoque adoptado pone de relieve que el género no es la única variable pertinente, sino que un cúmulo de factores interrelacionados (la ciudadanía, el origen social y étnico, la migración) agrava la situación desfavorable del sector (Milkman, Reese y Roth, 1998). Hemos observado que la determinación de los salarios en el trabajo doméstico dista mucho de ser sencilla.…”