Stereotypes and Ambivalence: the construction of domestic workers in Vancouver, British Columbia
- Date
1997
- Authors
G. Pratt
- Abstract
This article examines stereotypes of Filipina and British nannies presented by nanny agents in Vancouver, Canada in a serie s of interviews conducted in 1994, and then considers the influence of these stereotypes in structuring the work conditions of each group of domestic worker. Working with B hab ha’ s concept of ambivalence and Kaplan’ s ideas about the `impossibility ’ of the concept, `mother’, the agent interviews are then reread for signs of inconsistency and ambivalence. The British nanny is portrayed as both superior in terms of training and temperament, but cold and controlling. The Filipina nanny is both uncivilised and poorly motivated, and well-educated. These ambivalences are read in terms of anxieties about maternal substitution, colonial pasts, racial difference, and working mothers. Some implications of the inconsistency in agents’ portrayals of Filipina nannies for political practice are briefly outlined.
- Journal title
Gender, Place and Culture
- Volume
4
- Issue
2
- Page numbers
159-177
- File Attachments
- Links
-
http://www.yorku.ca/gmcr/race_gender_class/garment_files/Pratt1997.pdf (http://www.yorku.ca/gmcr/race_gender_class/garment_files/Pratt1997.pdf)
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- Economic sectors
Occupations in services - Domestic work
- Target groups
(Im)migrants workers, Employers, agencies and their representatives, Researchers, and NGOs/community groups/solidarity networks
- Regulation domains
Recrutement / placement agencies and Right to equality (national origin)
- Geographical focuses
British Columbia, Philippines, United Kingdom, and Vietnam
- Spheres of activity
Cultural and ethnic studies, Geography, Psychology, and Sociology
- Languages
English