The Servant Problem Domestic Employment in a Global Economy

There are now more servants in Britain than in Victorian times. This explosion in paid domestic employment is part of a global trend. Women from countries such as the Philippines take on domestic jobs in order to support families at home, whilst students from Eastern Europe, the EU and Brazil work as au pairs in order to study English and improve their employment prospects. Cox shows how policies introduced and encouraged by governments and global financial organizations have made domestic employment cheaper, easier and more necessary, and she shows how these policies have intensified inequalities that make life worse for millions of people. Inequalities of income have increased dramatically, work practices have become less rather than more family friendly, changes in taxation and benefits have favored the most wealthy and punished the worst off, and childcare provision still expects women to stay at home and look after the children.—back cover.