The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Domestic Work in Argentina

• In Event: Global and Transnational Sociology Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): 4. Politics, Narratives, and Experiences

Abstract

Domestic work constitutes a key source of female employment in Argentina. Using individual cross-sectional and panel data from the Argentine Permanent Survey of Households, along with 30 interviews with domestic workers in Buenos Aires, this paper examines the differences in employment conditions among formal and informal domestic workers during and after the pandemic, as well as the various household survival strategies these workers employed to cope with income loss. Informal domestic workers were 20 percentage points less likely to keep their jobs than their formal counterparts. Formal domestic workers, who generally have better job security, also faced a 20-percentage point decrease in job retention when compared with women in other formal positions. Additionally, domestic workers in the informal sector faced smaller wage increases and worked longer hours than those in formal employment or other informal sectors during this time. Domestic workers took up new short-term and informal jobs, borrowed money at high interest rates, relied on family support, and accessed state subsidies to mitigate the crisis. Some women chose informal jobs risking job security and labor rights to qualify for state support. While these options may have offered short-term relief, they could result in enduring economic disparities among domestic workers.

Author

• Yasmin Mertehikian, University of Pennsylvania