Current Institutional Affiliation
Outreach and Academic Coordinator, Stanford Global Studies Division, Stanford University

Award Information

International Dissertation Research Fellowship 2005
Institutional Affiliation (at time of award):
Anthropology, City University of New York (CUNY) / Graduate Center
Inequality and Childcare in the Global Economy: The Children of Mexican Domestic Workers

Focusing on the families and communities of origin of Mexican domestic workers living in New York City, my project concerns the conditions of children whose migrant mothers leave them in the care of family members in Puebla, Mexico. Many women who work in wealthy nations minding the homes and families of others leave their own children, at least for a period, in their poorer nations of origin. Scholars of contemporary domestic work argue, therefore, that global restructuring is redirecting the reproductive labor of women not only from their families to families with more wealth and power, but also from poorer nations to wealthy nations. Yet, because research is based almost entirely on domestic workers in employing nations, little data exists on such women's families. Research in Mexico will allow me to examine how families, communities and institutions in Mexico distribute the labor and costs of caring for such children, and how these childcare arrangements affect children, caretakers and other family members. Building on preliminary research in New York City, I will gather data in Mexico through interviewing and participant observation in two communities near the city of Puebla. The institutional context that shapes the lives of such families will be documented through archival research and interviews with representatives of relevant institutions and organizations.

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