Revue Internationale des Études du Développement (Sep 2021)
La persistente informalidad en el trabajo doméstico en Chile
Abstract
In Chile, despite a series of laws to improve working conditions for domestic workers, informal employment persists. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, this article examines why the informality of work is so persistent. We find that existing policies do not take into account the multidimensional nature of work informality, or the power dynamics between workers and employers that determine the conditions of domestic work. By studying these dynamics, we find that some female domestic workers are particularly vulnerable, like those with urgent economic needs or with unstable work arrangements. Future efforts to formalize the sector should take into consideration women workers’ heterogeneous abilities to claim their labor rights.
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