Why Madam has so many bathrobes: Demand for migrant domestic workers in the EU

There has been a substantial increase in demand for private domestic services throughout the European Union, and a significant proportion of these workers are non-citizens, many of them without documents. This paper addresses two questions: why is there an increase in demand for domestic workers in private households? and why is this demand being met by migrant women? While there are demographic and economic reasons for the former, the reproduction of lifestyle and status, and the avoidance of gender and generational conflict over domestic work are also important factors. Migrant labour is flexible, women are removed from family demands and can devote themselves to their employing family, moreover their 'race' and citizenship status differentiates them from their female employer.