'For better or worse : domestic work and outsourced housecleaning services in Stellenbosch

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: In the domestic work sector, the employment relationship between employer and domesticworker has undergone various transitions over the years. The first transition saw thetransformation of a characteristically abusive master-servant employment relationship into amadam-maid employment relationship. During this transition, domestic servants moved outof masters' houses and opt for live-out and part-time working arrangements. However, thistransformation did not improve domestic work much, as the employment relationship wasmaternalistic in nature. Various authors documented how the personal maternalisticemployment was not only emotionally draining to both maid and madam, but also that maidswere still prone to exploitation by madams, as domestic work was not regulated by law. Thisresulted in a second transition, where outsourced housecleaning service companiestransformed this personal maternalistic employment relationship into a triangularemployment relationship between manager, domestic employee (former domesticservant/maid/domestic worker) and client (former master/madam/employer). The triangularemployment relationship creates distance between clients and domestic employees asdomestic employees are under the authority and supervision of a third person (themanager/owner of housecleaning service company). In this study, these general trends areanalysed with reference to the evolution of domestic work in South Africa. While there havebeen many studies focusing on domestic work, few studies have documented whether thistransition has transformed domestic work 'for better or worse' with reference to the growth inhousecleaning service companies in South Africa. This study attempts to fill this void byanalysing managers', domestic employees' and clients' perspectives of two housecleaningservice companies in the Stellenbosch area. Throughout this study, every transition isdiscussed in terms of nature of employment, employment relationship, working conditionsand benefits for both client and domestic employee. The final chapter tries to answer thequestion whether housecleaning service companies are 'for better or worse' on both microand macro level and the need for future research in this field of academic endeavour is speltout.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University