Impact du Covid-19 sur la vie et l’agentivité des travailleuses domestiques migrantes

Hypervulnerability and Agency: The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Migrant Women Working in the Domestic Services Sector

Female domestic workers from a migrant background play an essential role in keeping society functioning. They are indispensable to the wellbeing of many households, notably by cleaning and providing care services for children, the elderly and the sick, often under precarious working conditions. The COVID-19 pandemic strongly affected this sector, but little was known about how migrant domestic workers experienced the crisis, how public policies affected them, and how they managed the risks and challenges in their daily lives. This project aimed to fill these gaps.

While the COVID-19 pandemic brought instability to everyone’s lives, certain groups were particularly affected. Women working in the domestic services sector are one of these groups. They are often at the bottom of the social ladder, particularly in terms of gender, citizenship and class. Many work informally or have uncertain residence status, which can limit their access to labour rights and social protection. This situation raises questions about their ability to overcome the inequalities and discrimination they face.

Objectives and Contributions of the Project

This project investigated how the COVID-19 pandemic affected the lives of migrant domestic workers and the forms of agency they developed to cope with this public health crisis. The study was conducted in the cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Geneva and Zurich, analysing both public policies and workers’ lived experiences. It combined policy analysis with interviews with 93 migrant domestic workers and 56 representatives of public authorities and civil society organisations. Following a community-based participatory approach, the research process and preliminary findings were discussed with domestic workers and other actors at different stages of the project, ensuring the relevance of the study for the affected communities.

The findings contributed to a better understanding of the strategies developed by vulnerable groups from a critical, agency-based perspective. They also enriched the body of work on irregular migration in Switzerland, by focusing on a previously understudied population and by offering an innovative examination of the influence of residence and employment status on vulnerability and agency. Given the marginalised position of migrant domestic workers in the Swiss social system, this project made a significant contribution to scientific knowledge in the field of social policy, by placing the needs and perspectives of marginalised groups at its centre.