Caregivers Need Care, Too: Conceptualising Spiritual Care for Migrant Caregivers-Transnational Mothers

Ma Adeinev M Reyes-Espiritu

doi:10.3390/rel13020173

Abstract

Growing research revolving around the plight of (Philippine) migrant domestic workers is noteworthy. However, the focus is largely on their role, capacity and identity as caregivers, meaning as labour migrants and transnational mothers engaged in both paid and unpaid care work. Building on the “care circulation” framework of Baldassar and Merla that conceptualises care as given and received in varying degrees by all family members across time and distance, this paper takes up the task of recognising migrant domestic workers as care receivers. In a particular way, this paper conceptualises care for migrant caregivers-transnational mothers that is based on a qualitative empirical study on the lived realities of Philippine migrant workers, who are also transnational mothers. An analysis of the participants’ narratives using the constructivist grounded theory approach reveals that their experience of God’s presence is central to how they navigate transnational mothering as labour migrants. This paper then proposes that their faith stories, significant as they are, be taken as a resource in providing them with spiritual care that takes their concerns into account.

Highlights

On 16 June 2021, human rights advocates celebrated the 10th year since the adoption of an international treaty that seeks to ensure the protection of workers in the domestic sphere
The results presented here are from a research project which investigates the role of Christianity in the phenomenon of transnational mothering
This study mainly focuses on the perspective of transnational mothers who are migrant caregivers, the findings are comparable to the Baldassar et al (2007) transnational caregiving model, which represents the broader population of transnational families

Summary

Introduction

On 16 June 2021, human rights advocates celebrated the 10th year since the adoption of an international treaty that seeks to ensure the protection of workers in the domestic sphere. Elements that lead to injustices and inequalities pervade the kind of work that they perform and the conditions of their employment, namely its invisibility and the fact that it is performed mostly by women and girls, who can be vulnerable because of their status as migrants and their membership of disadvantaged communities. Through this treaty, there is hope that the political engagement of nation-states can improve the plight of domestic workers. To this day, many countries have not yet ratified the said convention (European Alliance Calls on EU Governments to Implement Convention on Domestic Workers n.d.; Countries That Have Not Ratified This Convention n.d.)

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion