Just Another Job?

“Just Another Job? The Commodification of Domestic Labor” is an article written by Bridget Anderson detailing the ins-and-outs of domestic labor, particularly in Europe.  It is noted that the popularity of domestic labor has been rising in Europe, and in the case of this article, Athens, Greece is of importance because many of the women interviewed worked there.  I was shocked to learn of the horrors that migrant workers still apparently face in this day and age, when all they are trying to do is make money to help their families survive.  To me, the most horrific statistic was this: “In 1996-1997, 84 percent (of workers) reported psychological abuse, 34 percent (of workers) physical abuse, and 10 percent (of workers) sexual abuse.”  This comes from the employers perceived racial and ethnic superiority over the foreign, and often colored, workers that they hire.  I couldn’t believe that these conditions were still present to this extent anywhere that we consider to be a Western, industrialized country today.