Care Justice through Coalitions and Communities of Care

Despite the essential role that migrant domestic workers perform, their work—and human worth—is often disregarded. The issues facing migrant domestic workers go beyond harsh labor conditions and immigration regulations that tie their work permits to their employers. These issues—all of which migrant domestic workers have shared with me—involve a disregard for their humanity through policies that treat them as sources of contagion (e.g., mandatory annual HIV and pregnancy tests) and as wards (e.g., employers’ refusal to permit days off and the imposition of curfews). The problems facing migrant domestic workers stem from a devaluing of care and domestic work, alongside the routine ignoring of their own caring needs. A key principle of a caring society emphasizes the importance of meeting people’s caring needs (Glenn 2000). The inability of policymakers to recognize and meet migrant domestic workers’ need for care through policies shows migrant domestic workers’ invisibility.