An investigation of domestic workers' perceptions into the effects of employer involvement on parenting and parental autonomy
Domestic workers (DWs) have been described in sociological literature as "trapped" workers. They have been portrayed as workers coerced into powerlessness and unassertiveness by virtue of their economic dependence on employers. Observations of DWs in clinical settings have conﬁrmed these assertions. This study examines how eight DWs negotiate their parental authority f autonomy while having their own children living with them on their employers' premises and also having employers involved in parenting DWs' children. The results are based on semi-structured interviews with DWs. Interviews were taped, transcribed and the data analysed qualitatively. Results were discussed according to the following themes: 1. the nature of employer involvement 2. areas of employer involvement 3. areas of employer non-involvement in parenting and its relationship to the issues of power, culture and difference. Emergent themes were identiﬁed and discussed. Overall the expected ﬁnding that DWs would experience difficulties with parental autonomy was not supported. Recommendations regarding implications for treatment and research are made.
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