The Imperfect Contours of Outsourced Domestic Cleaning as Dirty Work

Abstract

This chapter considers the symbolic construction of domestic cleaning as dirty work and the real, physical work of dealing with dirt. Through the lens of outsourced domestic cleaning – how much cleaning is necessary and what can be outsourced – the chapter shows that an ‘objective’ analysis of human experiences of dealing with real physical dirt is not possible without reference to dirt’s moral meanings for the researched as well as the researcher. The chapter concludes that the dirty work approach offers an incomplete understanding of paid domestic work and that an alternative paradigm is required.