“Losing the Maid” Contradictory Dynamics of Social Class, Race, and Gender in the Migration Experiences of Mexican Expat Wives

Abstract

This study analyzes and offers a novel perspective on the complex and, at times, contradictory dynamics of class, race, and gender in the context of high-skilled migration by unpacking the significance of losing la muchacha (the maid) in the migratory experiences of Mexican expat wives. When Mexican (upper) middle-class women migrate to Western countries, they are confronted with the loss of extensive domestic support that they had previously taken for granted, leaving them to deal with the domestic burden while their husbands develop their international careers. This not only deepens gendered inequalities within their families but also challenges their middle-class habitus because commanding help has been an essential part of their upbringing and social position. Using grounded theory methodology to analyze data from 37 in-depth interviews, we found that participants responded to this situation by either trying to reproduce the patronal relationship in their new country of residence or — often after many years of living there — by adjusting to what they considered a more “civilized,” “western,” or “European” mind frame, incorporating a lower reliance on domestic help into their understanding of middle-class status. These migrants never explicitly challenged the underlying power structures in terms of gender, race, and class but learned to navigate privileges by adapting racial and social class codes to those of their host countries while mourning the Mexican domestic service paradise.