Ethnographic Interviews with Female Employer-Female Domestic Dyads
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Syracuse University SURFACE Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Sociology - Dissertations Affairs 2011 Class and Gender in the Phillippines: Ethnographic Interviews with Female Employer-Female Domestic Dyads Emelda Tabao Driscoll Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/soc_etd Part of the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Driscoll, Emelda Tabao, "Class and Gender in the Phillippines: Ethnographic Interviews with Female Employer-Female Domestic Dyads" (2011). Sociology - Dissertations. 68. https://surface.syr.edu/soc_etd/68 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at SURFACE. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sociology - Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SURFACE. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ABSTRACT This study is an ethnographic analysis of the relationship between female employers and female domestics in the Philippines focusing on how it maintains and reproduces the intersecting class and gender relations of power that brought the two women together. It also explores relationality - how the privileging of one group of women is related to the exploitation of another. Data for analysis was based on interviews with 25 female employer-female domestic dyads in a city in the Philippines in 1989. The questions for the semi-structured interviews were focused on four major research questions:1.) What kinds of female employer-female domestic relationship exist between the women in this city?; 2.) What makes one female employer-female domestic relationship similar to and different from another?; 3.) What is unique about the Philippine case in terms of this employer-employee relationship?; and 4.) How is the intersectionality of class and gender relations articulated in the female employer-female domestic relationship? The analysis reveals the existence of 4 types of female employer-female domestic relationships. The dynamics of dependency, fictive kinship, proprietarity, and deference are expressed in somewhat different ways. But in all case these ways indicate an asymmetric power relationship. The analysis suggests that these employers and domestics exhibit some level of agency, empowerment and solidarity in their daily interactions. However these are undermined by intersecting forces of class and gender relations in Philippine society. In particular “compandrazgo”, a system of patronage well-entrenched in Philippines society since the Spanish era, inhibits empowerment among domestics and female solidarity across class lines. Class and Gender in the Philippines: Ethnographic Interviews with Female Employer-Female Domestic Dyads By Emelda Tabao Driscoll Doctoral Dissertation In Sociology Syracuse University May 15, 2011 ! Copyright 2011 Emelda T. Driscoll !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"##!$%&'()!*+)+$,+-!!!!!!!!!!! Acknowledgement This has been quite a journey. Along the way I have had the good fortune of being in the presence of people who, with their talents and the gift of their time, have made a significant difference in the development of this dissertation and in my life as a sociologist. I begin with the 50 Filipino women, whose stories of their lives as employers and domestics from the mundane to the extraordinary will always be a source of inspiration for me and hopefully for the men and women who will read this paper. To these women I say thank you and offer my sincere apology for intruding into your lives. To my professors and fellow graduate students at the Sociology Department and the Health Studies Program of Syracuse University specially Nancy Mudrick, Susan Borker, Claire Rudolph, Julia Loughlin, Barry Glassner, Dale Tussing, Judy Long, Martha Wojtowijh, Cheryl Carpenter, Vigdis Mathisen, Gina Petonito, Maggie Abraham, and Takako Tsuruki –for being a part of a broad learning experience that was more than just academic work, I express my deep gratitude. A million thanks to both my dissertation advisor, Susan Borker for your patient guidance and sage advice throughout the entire dissertation process and to Marj Devault for sharing your many insights into class and gender issues. To my Nanay and my Tatay, Pascual and Rosario Tabao and my brothers and sisters Alden, Leo, Dido, Nuni, Idak, Emman, and Mencia - thank you for always believing in me. To my daughters Sarah and Maria for the many wonderful moments of comic relief as my dissertation cheerleaders, and to the love of my life, Dan –my best friend, my soul mate and my driver, I say, “Now we do the dance of JOY!!!!” TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter I – INTRODUCTION …………………………………………..1-43 Introduction Socio-economic Conditions in the Philippines Background of the Study Methodology Exploration and Interpretation: From the Symbolic Interactionist Perspective The Researcher: A Reflexive Analysis Insider/Outsider Issues Power Differentials Between Researcher and Researched Ethical Issues (Informed Consent, Confidentiality) Tension Between Social Activism and Scholarly Pursuit The Research Act: In the Field and On the Desk A-Selection of Site B-Selection of Participants C-Access to Employers D-Access to Domestics E-The Interview F-Major Research Questions and Guide Questions G-Analyses of Field Note and Interviews Research and Theory: Housework, Domestic Service I Chapter II- HISTORY OF DOMESTIC SERVICE………………..44-51 Ancient Civilizations (Greece, Rome, India, China, Muslim World) Latin American Societies India, the Arab Countries and Africa In the United States In the Philippines Conclusion Chapter III- CLASS AND GENDER IN THE PHILIPPINES……52-74 Position of Women in the Philippines Class and Gender Relations in the Philippines: A Historical Survey Pre-Hispanic Philippines Spanish Colonization Early 20th Century (American Occupation) The Present Chapter IV-THE WOMEN AND THE RELATIONSHIPS………75-106 Introduction Terms Used for Domestics The Relationships The Sergeant and the Suruguon The Supervisor and the Kabulig The Queen and the Maid The Uniformed Maid II The Uniform: Status and Segregation The Uniform as Cleansing Tool The Uniform: Badge of Status for Domestic Trust Between Queen and Maid The Mentor and Her Ward Conclusion and Reflections Chapter V-THE WORK SITUATION…………………………..107-142 Introduction The Hiring and Firing Situation Recruitment and Entry Dismissal from the Household Work Load and Work Schedule Compensation Meals and Eating Arrangement Quarters and Use of Space Free time and Vacation Conclusion and Reflections Chapter VI-“LIKE ONE OF THE FAMILY”……………….……..143-164 (Maternalism and Paternalism) Introduction Like One of the Family Family Analogy in Albay Comparison with other Countries III Compandrazgo Paternalism Maternalism Conclusion and Reflection Chapter VII-“LIKE A SPECIAL COMMODITY”………………165-192 (Domestic as Property) Introduction The Invisibility of the Domestic Domestic as Commodity and as Disposable Property Physical and Verbal Abuse Power Over Domestics’ Personal Lives Conclusion and Reflection Chapter VIII-DEPENDENCY………………………………………193-215 Introduction Domestic’s Dependency (Consequences and Coping Strategies) Negative Resignation and Positive Acceptance Deferential Behavior Humor and Criticism Psychology Solidarity among Domestics Flight Employer’s Dependency Reasons for Dependency IV Control and Manipulation Conclusion and Reflection Chapter IX-DEFERENCE………………………………………………216-236 Introduction Domestic as Deferential Worker Deferential Behavior Deference in Structure of Communication Pattern of Questioning Domestic as Confidante Deference in Language Spatial Deference Work Area Sleeping Arrangement and Quarters Eating Arrangement Deferential Behavior of Female Employer Conclusion and Reflections Chapter X-CONCLUSION………………………………………..237-252 Limitations of the Study Discussion of Major Findings Reflexibility Revisited Concluding Statements APPENDICES …………………………………………………253-273 Appendix A – The Women V Appendix B – Demographic Profiles BIBLIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………283-290 CURRICULUM VITAE ……………………………………………..291 VI CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION In this dissertation I explore how class and gender relations impact women’s lives. However, instead of viewing these two forces as separate and independent of each other, I look at how they intersect and how their intersectionality affects women. At the same time I investigate relationality – i.e. how the privileging of one group of women is related to the exploitation of another less fortunate group. Specifically I look at class and gender relations in the Philippines focusing primarily on the relationship between women from the more privileged classes and the women from the poor. The resulting discussion, observations, reflections and conclusions come from interviews I conducted with 25 Filipino female employer-female domestic dyads in 1989. Although these interviews were from two decades ago on a limited sample of Filipino women, their experiences have implications for and resonate with the lives of women at a global perspective and at different periods in time. The relationship between the Filipino female domestic and her Filipino female employer does not develop in a vacuum. It is affected by the world they interact in. Therefore I begin with a survey of the social conditions in the Philippines at the time I talked with these women in 1989 and what the society is like today 2 decades later. It is also important to examine global migration especially the migration of women from Third World countries to richer economies, paying closer attention to the burgeoning