New Maids and Caretakers in Paris?: The Reactivation of Transnational Social Fields of Spanish Emigration Following the Economic Crisis

Abstract

This article analyses the migration of Spanish women to France following the 2008 economic crisis, considering the reactivation of the transnational social fields that have been built up between the two countries over the years. It reveals how the recession has led to a renewal of the gender-based labour niches filled by women emigrating to Paris in the period between 1950 and 1970 (bonnes à tout faire or maid, domestic workers, caretakers and cleaners), stemming from the reactivation of transnational fields built up through social networks woven by the various migratory trends. It provides an insight into the way these transnational fields are linked to global production and reproduction chains in terms of the patriarchal reorganisation of the labour market and workforce. It concludes that the economic crisis has reinforced traditional social reproduction channels rooted in gender-based sources of employment.

Keywords

• nueva emigración española
• crisis económica
• mujeres migrantes
• trabajo doméstico y de cuidados
• campos sociales transnacionales
• Francia