Domestic Workers Among the Great Fortunes: Sociological Dynamics of Power Relationships
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Sociological dynamics, domestic workers, ultra-rich, power relationships, gift and counter-gift, Marcel Mauss, social ascension, domestic staff, labor relationship, symbolic violence, inequalities, domesticity, wealthy upper classes, aristocratic families, multimillionaires, sociology, cultural aspect, social milieu
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Abstract
Discover the intricate dynamics of power relationships between domestic workers and their ultra-rich clients as explored in Alizée Delpierre's sociological investigation. This insightful study reveals the motivations behind becoming a domestic worker among the affluent, including the dream of social ascension. Delpierre's immersive research, conducted over several years, uncovers the hidden market of ultra-rich domesticity, where maintaining appearances is paramount for both the wealthy and their domestic staff. The labor relationship is distorted by the use of gift and counter-gift, masking the power dynamics at play. With exclusive insights into the lives of domestic workers and their employers, this study sheds light on the complex web of relationships, oppression, and symbolic violence that exists within these elite circles.
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[...] Also, Alizée Delpierre demonstrates how the recruitment mechanisms are discriminatory and based on racist prejudices. For example, Arab women are seen as 'good cooks', while 'Ivorian' women are seen as good nannies.3. In her chapter 4 titled 'bodies at work', Alizée Delpierre observes the daily work of the domestic workers. She highlights how these domestic workers, who are present at every moment of the day of these wealthy people, are sometimes displayed as a 'display'.4 and at other times and according to circumstances, these people are really treated as slaves. [...]
[...] A working relationship reproducing systemic violence Let us recall that by systemic violence, we refer to the entire set of oppressions suffered by a given group due to various systems that reproduce inequalities and/or discriminations. In this work, Alizée Delpierre shows throughout her investigation the different means of oppression existing against the group of domestic workers, which manifest at different stages of their work. This is first evident at the time of their recruitment, as the recruitment of domestic workers is not done in an egalitarian and transparent manner. [...]
[...] Domestic workers among the great fortunes - Alizée Delpierre (2022) - What are the sociological dynamics at play in the context of the power relationships between domestic workers and their clients? Introduction Alizée Delpierre, a sociologist, specializes in power relationships and inequalities, as well as issues related to domesticity, particularly among the very wealthy upper classes. She is a lecturer on these topics at Sciences Po Paris, the Interdisciplinary Research Institute in Social Sciences at Paris Dauphine University, and co-directs a network called Domesticities. [...]
[...] (2022). Servir the rich: The domestics among the great fortunes. https://doi.org/10.3917/dec.delpi.2022.01 Kayser, L. (2022). Alizée Delpierre, Servir the rich. The domestics among the great fortunes. Lectures. [...]
[...] In her fifth chapter titled, 'the right to exploit', the sociologist shows how the ultra-rich justify frauds on the Labor Code. These frauds are the result of an agreement between the ultra-rich and their domestics. The ultra-rich who are in a dominant position reserve the right to declare their employees 'in gray', that is, they are declared in part but for all their hours. The sociology doctorate, who analyzed the work, indicates in her article:The flexibility demanded is justified by the 'familial' nature of work relationships, feeding the representation of a domesticity 'based on gift and not on a logical accounting'. [...]
