Abstract

PEREYRA, Francisca  and  TIZZIANI, Ania. Differentiated experiences and working conditions in domestic service Towards a characterization of labor segmentation of the sector in the city of Buenos Aires. Trab. soc. [online]. 2014, n.23, pp.5-25. ISSN 1514-6871.

Domestic workers’ precarious labor conditions are a well-known fact. Nonetheless, for more than one decade, a series of national and international initiatives have been directed to equalize this sector’s labor conditions with those of general salaried workers. In this context, a renewed academic interest on this occupation has taken place. However, the topic of the segmentation of this labor force, which has important consequences on policies directed to the sector, has not been thoroughly analyzed yet. In this sense, one of the most important variables to consider this labor force’s segmentation is the type of insertion in the occupation - defined here in terms of the weekly amount of hours labored per week. The type of insertion implies very different situations in terms of access to labor rights and the kind of occupational experiences in the workplace. In this article, we aim to contribute to this line of enquiry, based on a first classification of these workers: those who labor a few hours a week, and are usually paid on hourly basis and those who present more extended schedules and receive monthly payments. By combining quantitative and qualitative data we aim to explore, on one hand, the motivations and/or restrictions which lead workers to each kind of insertion. On the other hand, we study the ways in which these different labor insertions impact on domestic workers’ relationship with employers as well as on their perception and appropriation of labor rights.

Keywords : Domestic service; Labor segmentation; Labor conditions; Labor rights; Argentina.

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