Networks of Opportunity and Obligation:  Ecuadorian Migrant Domestic Workers and Their Transnational Families

Pratt, Eleanor

Networks of Opportunity and Obligation: Ecuadorian Migrant Domestic Workers and Their Transnational Families

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Date

2014

Authors

Pratt, Eleanor

Advisor

Fraga, Christopher Michael

Department

Swarthmore College. Dept. of Sociology & Anthropology

Type

Thesis (B.A.)

Language

en_US

Terms of Use

Full copyright to this work is retained by the student author. It may only be used for non-commercial, research, and educational purposes. All other uses are restricted.

Abstract

Hundreds of thousands of Ecuadorian women have migrated to Spain over the past two decades, seeking jobs as domestic workers. The gendered nature of this migration and its impact on families is the focus of my research. Migration is a family survival strategy within a global system that undervalues domestic work and fails to meet the needs of women and their families worldwide. While remittances aid in the development of home communities, a perspective that sees remittances as a development strategy ignores the real sacrifices and struggles of migrant women and their families. Using participant observation and interviews in both the home sending community in Ecuador and in Madrid, I explore the impacts on both the sending family and the daughters in Spain. By studying the same transnational family over time and across borders, I explore family dynamics through the details of the actual migration experience: how migrants learn the cultural codes to pass through immigration, how they raise capital through social networks to finance the trip, and how migrants negotiate housing, finding work and gaining legal rights in Madrid. I discuss the undervaluing of care work, which increases the vulnerability of Ecuadorian migrant women. I also investigate the dynamics of this transnational family, through communicative practices, return visits and family reunification. Finally I consider how the migration project of Ecuadorian women affects their sense of personal development and identity. Looking toward the future, I discuss how opportunities are diminishing for migrant workers as the Spanish economic crisis deepens, forcing migrants to decide whether to stay in Spain or return to Ecuador.