Nannies by Birth? The Representation of Philipina Nannies by Employment Agencies and in the Media in the Czech Republic
Abstract
Commercialization and commodification of care is are some of the recent trends in the world. Local agencies market care by Philippina nannies as a product with distinct features.
In the article, I focus on the public construction of Philippina nannies and housekeepers' paid labour. The issue is a part of a larger research project, in which I investigate the working and living conditions of Philippina nannies in the Czech Republic, the role of employment agencies and the public construction of domestic work.
I analyse the representation of Philippina women and their work from two different points of view - of specialized employment agencies and of the media. I examine the way in which employment agencies commodify care - by offering Philippina nannies as a particular product for a particular sort of clients, and the way they define (and thus promote a certain understanding of) domestic work.
Besides these two questions, I also briefly discuss the connections of these representations with broader social discourses and look at what they tell us about the current transformation of the Czech society (or its segment) under the influence of global processes. The Czech websites of specialized employment agencies, interviews with their owners and information published by established media outlets were my primary data sources.