A migrant ethic of care? Negotiating care andcaring among migrant workers in london’slow-oav economy

Abstract

A care deficit is clearly evident in global cities such as London and is attributable to an ageing population, the increased employment of native-born women, prevalentgender ideologies that continue to exempt men from much reproductive work, as wellas the failure of the state to provide viable alternatives. However, while it is nowacknowledged that migrant women, and to a lesser extent, migrant men, step in toprovide care in cities such as London, there is less research on how this shapes thenature, politics and ethics of care. Drawing upon empirical research with low-paidmigrant workers employed as domiciliary care providers in London, this paper exploresthe emergence of a distinct migrant ethic of care that is critically shaped by thecaring work that migrant women and men perform. © 2010 Feminist Review.