City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 5-2018 The Potency of Policy?: A Comparative Study of Filipino Elder Care Workers in the United States and Israel Abigail F. Kolker The Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/2567 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] THE POTENCY OF POLICY?: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF FILIPINO ELDER CARE WORKERS IN THE UNITED STATES AND ISRAEL by ABIGAIL F. KOLKER A dissertation submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Sociology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, The City University of New York 2018 © 2018 Abigail F. Kolker All Rights Reserved ii The Potency of Policy?: A Comparative Study of Filipino Elder Care Workers in the United States and Israel by Abigail F. Kolker This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in sociology in satisfaction of the dissertation requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. ________________ _____________________ Date Nancy Foner Chair of Examining Committee ________________ _____________________ Date Lynn Chancer Executive Officer Supervisory Committee: Richard Alba Philip Kasinitz Julia Wrigley THE CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK iii ABSTRACT The Potency of Policy?: A Comparative Study of Filipino Elder Care Workers in the United States and Israel by Abigail F. Kolker Advisor: Nancy Foner As the population of the United States and Israel rapidly ages, the elder care industry is expanding at an unprecedented rate. In-home care work is increasingly performed by migrants, many of whom are from the Philippines. This study, based on two years of ethnographic research and 163 in-depth interviews, examines how the United States’ and Israel’s differing immigration and labor policies impact the lives of Filipino caregivers. Despite vastly different policy approaches to migrant elder care workers—highly unregulated in the U.S. and highly regulated in Israel—this study found many striking similarities between Filipino caregivers’ migration and work experiences in the two countries. This is because although the policies are on opposite ends of the spectrum, they produce a number of parallel results. Immigration policies in both the U.S. and Israel relegate many migrants from the Philippines to precarious legal statuses, which directly or indirectly funnels many of them into caregiving, as well as weakens their bargaining power. Meanwhile, both countries’ labor policies fail to adequately protect caregivers, either by being deficient or overly restrictive. Thereby, policies in both countries increase caregivers’ vulnerability to hazards at work, which include payment problems, interrupted sleep, expansion of pre-arranged duties, various form of abuse, and isolation. iv Acknowledgements First and foremost, I want to thank all of my respondents who shared their experiences with me and welcomed me into their communities. I owe a debt of gratitude to each of them, for their time, openness, and trust. I thank them for embracing me and including me in their lives. I also am immensely grateful to Kav LaOved and Damayan Migrant Workers’ Association for allowing me to intern and volunteer at their organizations. They shared their expertise and insight, and generously provided me access to their community contacts. This project would not have been possible without their knowledge, connections, and endorsement. Many thanks for their confidence and investment in me. I am profoundly grateful to my chair, Nancy Foner. I could not imagine a better advisor, and I am deeply indebted to her for guiding me through all of graduate school as seamlessly as possible. Her support and encouragement helped carry me through the entire dissertation process. She provided thoughtful feedback, meticulous edits, and helpful suggestions. She was always available, quick to respond, and would think about my project even on her time off, sending me her reflections and relevant news articles. It was a privilege to work so closely with such a brilliant scholar. I wish that every graduate student could be so lucky as to have an advisor as outstanding as Nancy. I was also fortunate to have a stellar committee of scholars reading my dissertation. Richard Alba has been an incredible source of knowledge, helping me situate my study within broader scholarly work on migration. He read my dissertation draft with a fine-tooth comb, offering detailed feedback that greatly benefited the final product. From coursework through the dissertation process, his wisdom and attention to v detail have been invaluable. Phil Kasinitz ensured that I did not lose sight of the “big picture” and was extremely helpful in making sure my dissertation was cohesive and related to larger issues in the field. He was always willing to discuss my project in-depth, whether during impromptu chats in his office or via Skype while I was abroad. I gained so much insight from our conversations and appreciate all the times he has made himself available. Julia Wrigley provided extraordinary expertise, helping me connect my research to the broader study of care work. Before we ever worked together, Julia generously had conversations with me about my project. I am so grateful she joined the committee. Our dynamic discussions are always fruitful not to mention fun. Furthermore, her positivity and affirmation kept me optimistic to the very end. I owe many thanks to Rati Kashyap for her consistent guidance and assistance. Since my first year in graduate school, she helped me navigate CUNY with empathy and understanding, troubleshooting any obstacles and finding creative solutions. I am also appreciative to have learned from so many incredible scholars and students at the Graduate Center (GC). The faculty at CUNY played a pivotal role in my intellectual development. Special thanks to my first mentor at the GC, Cynthia Epstein, for her interest in my scholarly success. I was also fortunate to have been surrounded by thoughtful and engaged classmates and friends at the GC. My peers, including the members of the Immigration Working Group, have been wonderful colleagues and confidantes, helping not only by discussing ideas but also by providing advice throughout graduate school. I received funding from a number of sources, which have enabled me to pursue this cross-national comparative project and allowed me to complete my dissertation in a vi timely manner. Thank you to the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania, who recognized my scholarly potential as an undergraduate and encouraged me to pursue a PhD. The CUNY Graduate Center not only provided me my core funding through the Enhanced Chancellor’s Fellowship, but also supported me through various research grants and summer funding. Additionally, the Advanced Research Collaborative, the Women’s Study Certificate Program, the Early Research Initiative, and the Provost’s Office at the Graduate Center generously awarded me numerous travel, research, and writing grants. The Social Science Research Council- Mellon Mays Graduate Initiative Program offered financial and scholarly support throughout graduate school, via their grants, proposal writing seminar, conferences, and regional lecture series. I was also fortunate to participate in national and international collaborative academic experiences, thanks to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) and The University of Southern California Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration. Finally, my research in Israel would not have been possible without the New Israel Fund-SHATIL Social Justice Fellowship. I am so appreciative that they allowed me to participate in this program while simultaneously conducing fieldwork. My experience as a Social Justice Fellow greatly enhanced this project. And of course, I am immensely grateful to my family and friends for their support and encouragement throughout my graduate studies. I owe a special thank you to my brother David, for his impeccable editing skills, and to my mother, Susie, the preeminent proof-reader. She was the first person to read my complete dissertation from start to finish, aptly noting that “lifting it is an upper body workout!” Thank you to my father, Richard, for teaching me the technique that I utilized throughout graduate school: do all vii your thinking in the outline and the paper will write itself. Also, for consistently reminding me to “stop researching already and get to writing!” From an early age, our brainstorming sessions helped me crystalize my thoughts and taught me how to express my ideas clearly and concisely. Finally, Roi has been there for me in every way, keeping me motivated and focused. I am so grateful for his emotional support and understanding, especially as I neared completion. Many thanks for all the weekends he would “pretend I’m not home” while I worked on my dissertation. Ani ohevet otcha yoter. viii Table of Contents List of Tables.......................................................................................................................x Chapter One: Introduction...................................................................................................1 Chapter Two: Entering the Destination