Conceiving the New World Order The Global Politics of Reproduction Faye D. Ginsburg and Rayna Rapp UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS | Berkeley Los Angele London |FIVE “Like a Mother to Them”: Stratified Reproduction and West Indian Childcare Workers and Employers in New York ‘Shale Cole i ht is tno. ser he moring ihe Teflon te py “The experience of Wee Indian childcare workers in New York and their white US-born employers reveal the operation of ransnaional, highly Sraied sytem of reproduction! By atid predation mean that physical and soa reproductive tsk are accomplished diferent onding to Ineguaises tht are based on hierarchies of las, ace, ef ty, ender, place a lobal economy and migration sas an hat fre arctred by social, eonomi, and pita forces. The reproductive Iiorphacal ment and emetional—of bearing raising, end soca iting dren and of creating and maining bounholds and people {Gro infaney sol age) i diferent experienced, valued, and Fe ‘worded scoring to nequalies of sce o material and socal resources In particular historical snd cual context, Staied reproduction, Parry with the inctessingcommodiiation of reproductive bor {el reproduces satiation by releing, reinforcing and itensiying the inequaities om whichis based (Se Colen 19850, 1980, 198 ‘gp olen and Sanjk 19g: Rollins +98, 1990) The hiring of Wet Indian ldare labo athe United Staten, wich ied New York iy 4nd the Englsh-spestingCarBbean in the rg7os and 18 opened wp 4 indow on a taneauonal jtem of sraied reproduction i which al procenes are evident in locate, daly event and in which ‘traifeation felis eprodced ax chldareocarvacrss das ines, in toes and oceans? From 108 to 186 Icondctd research in New York through partic {renyfve Engh speaking Afo-Carbbean women who had perfor Ihowschold and childcare wrk at one poet ce seating to New York, Gay afer 195° Brit Fldwork in Se Vincent and Barbados, West he, in 1g centered on migrant’ etm wits, cleared foster ing and migration process. In 1988-89, conducted went atrviews ‘ith ite US-born employers of Wes naan cidcare workers inthe ‘New York area Elewbere, Ihave dcssed such apecs of staied Feproducion the relationship among labor market samigration pl: {cand productive labor for Wet Indian women; andacumented West Ind womens experiences of exploitation wile working in Private households, expe wen they Hien the anymmtrical power mat Fal and respect relations between household workers and cxployes ind worker ging of pid reproductive work anther ml espon Sides (olen obs 18, 1940) Here I concentrate onthe dere {al experiences of tratiied reproduction for Wes Indian childere ‘worker and thr employer, Heating narrowly on parenting ad is chapter. 1 oline ome ofthe economic sca nd legal fctors shaping West Indian women's migration to New York and thet work household chidcae giver for wite US-born employers. Dcomion of ‘Wes Indian experiences and meanings of motherhood and fowering Io Calne the transnational experience afraid reproduction. ply. fr idea about motherhood and chldeare ae infvenced by changing ‘Sciseonomc relies abd Meoogies about reproductive labor and by ‘edi representations of motherhood. I draw onthe diy, ved exper. nce of atid reproduction and the repredacion of stratifesion, ‘higing an trang wore and employers perpen “The diferenal experiences of reproduction, particu of parenting dnd childcare, for West nian workers aad New York cnployers ae iramed by a transnational stated sytem. In this jst, West Indian ‘women cnftont the legacies af slavery, colonial, underdevelopment Sind Caribbean arcltion imo a work capitalist system and the com Stains these place on ulling ther ender dened obligations. They fice, onthe one hand, un-and underemployment ising css of ving. in mited edvcationl and eccupatonal opportunites, 2nd, of the ‘he gender expectations that the bear. ras, and carey the blk ofthefinancial responsi for children and for other kin Boles (198,198, 138) and D Amico Samuels (1986, 199) have sown the dec relto slp beereen worecsing conn cncaion inching thee induced bbylmernational Monetary Fund polices, and womens productive and repraducive strategies in Jamaica inthe 1970 and iin. For many ‘migration lan “ernie employment state)” (Boles 198 62), The West Indian women in my sdysiewed migraon to New York 214 mean of conteaing th fans, While all were employed in the Coiean n working oF idle jbe a cally defined), economic ‘conten severely lated dee nan capabilites, standards of ving Sd eveasonal and employment opportunites Mothers migrated to ‘ipport themes, det fails, ae others the short run and (0 Serire beter opportunities (rough obtaining legal rendence sn he ‘Tite States) for sematves snd hee Kinin the kong rn US. immigration polices mediated migration in two cri ays (olen so) Fir, Wea Indian women wee without permanent rete ‘en statin that with temporary tour vss o without document) they had to migrate alone, leasing cldren behind. Some of those fw ‘iho migrated ith Iga ee were prevented by immigration policy fom being ther chilren (and few chowe to spare their Cdr me of te trauma of migration wnt the themes mere seed nto jatn and homes). Seeond, women seking legal sats were directed by {immigration poles (informed by bor needs and cas. and race- Stated divin of bor) to private houschold work asa wa to gan ‘ployer sponsorship for legal permanent redent sata he green ard). ‘Even migrants with green cards confronting ths system of racy strated division of bor had diel wansating tet shad jo Isto from home into comparable employment in New York ye ond Iowechold cere work with eae ete This yom of reproduction ‘signs pid reproductive loro workinglas women of oo ad the Sytem Wel reproduc such satieason. For undecurente, Ivean Sorkers,espcllythowe nein legal seat this offen meant exploit tive, indentureite conditions. or those with green ards work ing lame, area utnomy wa accompanied by low wages will ‘ut media rerement or cher Benefits, which exacerbated her ox osc dficulies While some women eft howschold work fcr cr {aning lg statu rough employer sponsorship, sticaton crested liborsmaret condition often untrvrabe to ig the nds higher ying nonouschold jl with beneis and beet condisons tha they fought Some found childcare preferable othe erates, es tem ‘Workers percived a hierarchy of howchold reproductive borin hich vein jobs wih responsi fra oa houschols minenance Ind cldeare ccupy the betom. espe for undocumented workers needing sponsors. On the next rungs, daywork howsedeaing i flowed by flue, ineout Boweholl maitenance and chldere job. Childcare jb with minimal oF no housework are tthe op. Mot ‘erie ineriowed had worked at ach level some pont Wah green ‘ds, workers enjoyed the relative power to set the parameters of pr ‘te howehald work that their undocumented sere Icke In thi Indeneretke potions, which they often compared to svery, Wheres Undecurcated worker chen had to “do eyeing” in te howchld to get their green cade and reunite wth their hen, those with lege Status had more power to define ther esponsibties, to nto m nate houseceaning. and to devote themes to chiar ‘Socal and economic shia the United States in the ropes and os created an act nee for childcare across cles Sich factors the Baby Tomer owa tay boom coupled wih the ssing lborfore parti tion of mothers and coniaued expectations of male respon fr reproductive bor le more fates contomtng inadeyuate opens for childcare. In the United States, labor force patipaton of women vith chdren under eighteen increased Sn 4s perertin 2970 t 63 Pent in 1986; by 1986 more than 7o perent of mothers of schol age ‘len mere inthe work fre: 54 percent ll mothers with cilren lunder scan 1 percent of ll mothers with children under three were ‘ployed in 1986 Kahn and Karnerman 1987. 19) In 498, "508% ‘tall new mashersremined inthe job marke” whe “03% of new ‘mothers wih allege degrees” iso (Working ether I Now the Nora 18. nthe mation as 4 whole, because of the ideology of privatized childcare, the virtual absence of sate- or employer sponsored eldest, Sd severely limited daycare pons, the wratieason of ches oh. tions inensed From 1 to 198 national igure Indicated dedines Inearebyaelaiveinclding parent) and bys nonrelatve nthe cis home (ter) and increnssin care bya nontelatve in that persons home (aml day care) and in day-care cemers or marci (Hafler +987: 9) Parents chose among thee lnsted options onthe Bn of purchaug Power avallabiy, and com, aswell athe age and number of cdren nd belie abou child development’ Workingelas and mows mide: hss patens could no aflordt-home dldcare and uae other se ‘ees Kahn and Kamerman eximate that n 1988 most infants and to lers were in ful day ere (987: 67). The US. Bureau ofthe Census ‘epored that in fall 1987, 47.1 perent of employed mothers used rela thera thi primary chdcare provider for chen under fe 43 percent used Organized chldeare elie, 985 percent wed cre By | |