In Global Care Crisis: A Problem of Capital, Care Chain or Commons? authors Lise Widding Isaksen, Sambasivan Uma Devi and Arlie Russel Hochschild discuss the driving force of South to North migration. This South to North migration primarily refers to women. Women take on roles of maids, nannies, nurse aides, nurses and doctors (2008:405) in their home countries which are usually third world countries with weak economies. They then use their skill to tend to families within a country with a stronger economy, this country usually being the United States. This migration is a direct result of capitalism. These women are often mothers who leave behind their children and partners for financial reasons. This then leads to the concept of global care chain. Global care chains are links among people based on paid and unpaid care. Often times the migrating woman leaves her own children behind in their home countries which requires a relative to look after and care for her children. This relative could be the migrating woman’s mother or her eldest daughter regardless this is often unpaid care. The woman then migrates to obtain the paid labor of caring for the children of others. The care chain has a tremendous effect on the third world country child. This child is able to obtain the benefits that money is able to provide but the child does not have the opportunity to grow alongside their mother. Thus, the child is emotionally and mentally deprived of nurture that a mother is able to provide. Global care chains are linked to commons. Commons are essentially anything that is shared within a community. In order for there to be an exchange or share there must first be a community. The formation of a community is negatively effected when the mother must leave to financially provide for a better life.
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