Inferiorization and deference: The construction of social hierarchies in the context of paid domestic labor

In Argentina, domestic work is one of the main occupations for women from low-income sectors. As in other Latin American societies, it is one of the most paradigmatic forms of contact between the different social classes. As such, this labor relationship has been analyzed in numerous studies as a cr...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Gorban, Debora, Tizziani, Ania
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2014
Country:Argentina
Institution:Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas
Repository:CONICET Digital (CONICET)
Language:English
OAI Identifier:oai:ri.conicet.gov.ar:11336/85994
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11336/85994
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:TRABAJADORAS DOMESTICAS
SERVICIO DOMESTICO
DESIGUALDAD SOCIAL
JERARQUIAS SOCIALES
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5.4
https://purl.org/becyt/ford/5
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Summary:In Argentina, domestic work is one of the main occupations for women from low-income sectors. As in other Latin American societies, it is one of the most paradigmatic forms of contact between the different social classes. As such, this labor relationship has been analyzed in numerous studies as a critical location for the reproduction of social differences and inequality. The interpersonal relationships between employers and workers mobilize categorization criteria and stereotyped images that reveal wider dynamics regarding the construction of social hierarchies. On the basis of a qualitative study, the objective of this article is to analyze, in the city of Buenos Aires, the processes of constructing social hierarchies that are implied by this particular labor relationship. This analysis seeks to reveal the operations through which employers construct a stereotype of social inferiority for domestic workers through which they legitimize their dominant position in the labor relationship, and to examine the tensions and ambiguities of this.