Migrant Domestic Workers: Family, Community, and Crisis

This article examines the consequences of the economic crisis in Greece on the families and community organizations of migrant domestic workers. After spending more than a decade in individualized low-status jobs, migrant women are facing the effects of the economy on their primary and secondary solidarity groups, families, and communities. The research suggests that although this tendency is not new, it has been greatly exacerbated by the ongoing recession and has resulted in the emergence of new forms and perceptions of family and community. These changes further undermine the social position of migrant women, who were one of the most atomized and vulnerable sectors of the workforce even before the advent of the economic crisis.