Making an exception for care: Balancing welfare state and immigration policies

Holly Gastineau-Grimes, Purdue University

Abstract

Industrialized societies are increasingly characterized by a `care deficit' as a result of the discrepancy between caring needs and the number of available care workers. The need for more care workers stems partly from more opportunities for working women and the need for two-income households to safeguard against financial insecurity. In this study, I consider how care and immigration policies in host countries influence one another and explore the implications. I argue that states with less generous care policies (including childcare provisions and leave-time) and states with more working women are more encouraging of migrant and temporary workers. I build a classification scheme that identifies four scenarios of generosity and openness to identify mechanisms that influence the presence of migrant care workers and targeted policies, followed by a mixed methods approach. First, empirical support is presented to verify the exceptional nature of domestic care work versus preferences for skilled workers. Second, case studies, using process tracing and structured, focused comparison, illuminate how the framing and construction of childcare policy and working women affect specific migration policies for domestic workers. I draw on the empirical results and country specific case studies to help establish broad domestic and international conditions that promote gender equity.

Degree

Ph.D.

Advisors

Weldon, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Political science|Public policy|Ethnic studies

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