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Aging Filipino Domestic Workers and the (In)Adequacy of Retirement Provisions in Canada

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 January 2017

Ilyan Ferrer
Ilyan Ferrer*
Affiliation:
University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work
*
†La correspondance et les demandes de tire-à-part doivent être adressées à : / Correspondence and requests for offprints should be sent to: Ilyan Ferrer, M.S.W. University of Calgary, Faculty of Social Work Assistant Professor Professional Faculties Building 4246 2500 University Dr NW Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 ([email protected])
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Abstract

Although domestic work scholarship in Canada has focused primarily on the immigration/migration and labour experiences of domestic workers under the Foreign Domestic Movement and the Live-in-Caregiver Program, research is scarce on how these workers retire and consequently age in Canadian society. This article focuses on the aging experiences of retired Filipino domestic workers who, upon entering retirement, find themselves working in the secondary and/or underground economy while providing and receiving care from spouses, grandchildren, and local/transnational family members. Data were drawn from six qualitative, in-depth interviews with older Filipina domestic workers who discussed experiences of immigration, caring labour, retirement, and aging. Findings underscore (1) the poverty that older Filipino domestic workers encounter as they approach their retirement; (2) the necessity but insufficiency of the state’s retirement provisions; (3) the need to find work in the unreported labour market; and (4) how caring labour is provided intergenerationally as a survival strategy.

Résumé

Bien que la recherche canadienne sur le travail domestique ait surtout porté sur les expériences immigratoires et migratoires des travailleurs domestiques dans le cadre du Programme concernant les employés de maison étrangers et du Programme des aides familiaux résidants, la recherche est rare sur la retraite de ces travailleurs et la façon dont ils vieillissent dans la société canadienne. Cet article met l’accent sur les expériences de vieillissement des travailleurs domestiques philippins qui, en entrant à la retraite, se retrouvent dans l’économie secondaire et / ou souterraine, tout en fournissant et en recevant des soins de leurs conjoints, petits-enfants et membres locales ou transnationales de leur famille. Les données ont été tirées des six entrevues qualitatives et approfondies avec vieilles domestiques philippines qui a parlé de l’expérience de l’immigration, travail dans la prestation de soins, la retraite et le vieillissement. Les résultats soulignent (1) la pauvreté que les travailleurs domestiques philippins âgés rencontrent quand ils abordent leur retraite ; (2) la nécessité pour mais l’insuffisance des dispositions sur la retraite de l’État ; (3) la nécessité de trouver du travail à la main-d’oeuvre non déclarée ; et (4) comment la pratique d’accompagnement est effectuée, comme une stratégie de survie, entre les générations.

Keywords

agingretirementdomestic workFilipino caregiversintergenerational carevieillissementtravail domestiqueaidants Philippinssoins intergénérationnels
Type
Articles
Information
Canadian Journal on Aging / La Revue canadienne du vieillissement , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , March 2017 , pp. 15 - 29
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Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2017 

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Footnotes

* I would first thank the women who participated in this study and shared their experiences and stories with me. I also thank Shari Brotman for her feedback and editorial contributions to this submission. I acknowledge the support and funding provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), the Fonds Quebecois de recherché sur la societe et la culture (FQRSC), and the Centre de recherché et d’expertise en gerontology social (CREGES), which have allowed me to carry on my research.

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