Domestic Service and Urbanization in Latin America from the Nineteenth Century to the Present

Abstract

This chapter looks at internal and international migration and changes in urban household economies and the feminization of domestic labour in Latin America from the sixteenth century until the present. Particular attention is paid to colonialism, the transition from slave to free labour, urbanization and industrialization, and their implications for domestic service. The chapter argues that: domestic service is especially suited to Latin America because of its colonial past, social structure, long-term neglect of basic city services, and high levels of income inequality; domestic service draws migrants; female domestic servants since the nineteenth century have typically remained single; children have been integral to internal migration and domestic service throughout history, particularly in Latin America; the expansion in domestic service in Latin America after 1920 and the continued use of servants today is a function of urbanization and the expanding middle class. Keywords:domestic service; feminization; Latin America; migration; nineteenth century; urbanization