Failed schemes of relatedness in domestic work: Filipina domestic workers in Greece

Abstract

This article examines the development of Filipina domestic workers' ideas regarding their work, as well as the relational models of work they apply in Greek households during their stay in the country over time. These models are produced in the context of an ambivalent legal environment, are constructed in relation to models applied by employers and are informed by Filipino ideas concerning reciprocity and the relational construction of power. Inside the Greek household and its hierarchical structures all these Filipino working models fail, confirming the resilience of the private/public split as Filipina domestic workers finally move from live-in to live-out work.