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Danielle Edwards Assignment #10

In “Global Care Crisis,” authors Arlie Hochschild, Sambasivan Uma Devi, and Lise Widding Isaksen explain that each year there is a steady increase in the number of women migrants. These women are moving far away from their families and taking jobs as caretakers, nannies, maids and nurses in order to help provide for their families. Women migrate to the North to countries where the economy is better which leaves the south with no skilled workers and limited resources. The idea of the commons is being a part of a whole. The authors insist that a capitalistic view lacks the opportunity from people to live as a part of a community. They believe that just as the capitalism that developed wore away the commons in 18th century Europe, the same is occurring in respect to the North’s economic wellbeing destroying the commons of the south. We see this because one of the consequences of a mother migrating away is that the relationship between her and her children shifts. Although she may be able to support her children financially, she cannot nurture and support them emotionally and mentally. These are important features to a child’s development. The mother is the primary caregiver in a household so her absence distorts family relations because now that responsibility belongs to the father, who might neglect to exhibit these characteristics. Migrant women sacrifice a lot for the potential well being of their family but what is not seen is how their children react. They may question why their mother left them and even have resentment towards their absentee mothers. These children would also have lower grades than children living with both parents. They feel lonely, sad and confused. What I found to be troubling was that the well-being of the markets in the North depended on migrant women leaving their families to bestow their natural caregiver instincts on other people that are not their kin; not because they wanted to, but because they had to. Especially because leaving their families behind came with public shame. They were deemed bad mothers or materialistic although they too didn’t want to be separated. They wanted a better life for their kids and migrating for a job was the way they knew how to ensure that life.