Geographia Polonica (2014) vol. 87, iss. 3

The enduring connection between gender, migration and household services

Josefina Domínguez Mujica

Geographia Polonica (2014) vol. 87, iss. 3, pp. 367-382 | Full text
doi: https://doi.org/GPol.2014.25

The expanding literature analysing the way in which gender shapes migration highlights the high level of demandfor migrant women to render household services in Southern Europe. However, while studies assessed thecharacteristics of the phenomenon during the expansion phase to the economic cycle, it was unclear what thesituation in times of uncertainty would be, and what consequences this would have for migration regulationsand the labour market. The work described in this article sought to respond to the above questions by exploringmore fully the enduring connection between gender, migration and household services in Spain, and by analysingthe role and consequences of the statuses of immigrant women as regards invisibility and irregularity.

Keywords: migration, gender, household services, economic crisis, Southern Europe, Spain

Josefina Domínguez Mujica, Chair of the IGU Commission on Global Change and Human Mobility University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria C/Pérez del Toro 1, 35003 Las Palmas: Spain