Social Reproductive Struggles of Filipino Migrants in Finland

Abstract

Starting from the acknowledgement that social reproductive labour is key to capitalist economies and that the productive and reproductive labour spheres are entangled, in this chapter, we analyse the racial stratifications of care loops locally and transnationally. We argue that focusing on social reproduction allows researchers to consider not only the paid and unpaid social reproductive tasks individuals are involved in and their value, as feminist research has traditionally done, but also individuals’ capabilities of reproducing themselves as workers, as well as parents and caregivers. Drawing on 40 qualitative interviews with Filipino migrants working in various reproductive labour jobs, such as domestic workers, cleaners, nannies, and nurses in Finland, we analyse the interplay between policies regarding labour-based migration and family reunification and the position of migrant workers in care loops locally and transnationally. We analyse the daily experiences of Filipino migrant workers in Finland to argue that the social reproduction of migrant workers not only as workers but also as transnational parents and caregivers is impeded by restrictive migration legislation that perceives migrant workers as commodified, temporary labour power and overlooks the embodied, unpredictable nature of social reproductive labour.KeywordsReproductive labourSocial reproductionSocial reproductive struggleFilipino migrantFilipino au pairDomestic workerPhilippinesFinland