Nannies Flex Their Muscle in France

Jennifer Cocks

October 1, 2010

11:05 AM

France has one of the highest birthrates in the European Union and recent budget cuts are cutting down government-provided social services such as childcare. As a result, many foreign-born women are immigrating to hold jobs as housekeepers and nannies. In 2008, over 52.3 % of women immigrants were employed in the country, most employed as caregivers. Female immigrants are more at-risk than their male counterparts, as the majority of men immigrating seek construction and restaurant jobs and they are less vulnerable to unreasonable demands from employers. These restaurant and construction jobs provide pay stubs for proof of work and the men can go on strikes to protest their immigrant status; both of these are not viable for female immigrants in the caregiver industry, as there is no official record of work history nor can the women go on strike as their jobs are too essential to abandon. Illegal immigrants do have a defense, if asked for identification documents they can provide “a numbered photo ID card that identifies [the immigrant] as a member of a registered group of undocumented workers whose applications for working papers are under review.” This defense was a result of a campaign by human advocacy groups and French unions who sought to legalize illegal immigrants who already hold jobs. However, the processing of immigrant requests to be legalized have recently slowed.

This is an interesting case, as women immigrants are banding together to get legal status in France on the basis of employment, not for reunification with spouses or children. I also think it’s fascinating that the French unions have lent a hand in the movement to legalize illegal immigrant workers. They recognize that the country relies heavily on female immigrant labor to provide essential childcare services that cannot be provided by the state. And registering illegal immigrants seeking legal status helps the government keep track of the number of illegal immigrants without punishing the workers for their illegal status while their paperwork is pending. That the system similarly doesn’t seem to punish the people who knowingly employ illegal immigrants is also good; it further encourages employers to write the necessary letters stating they wish to continue employing the illegal immigrant woman which, in turn, aids the immigrant in her pursuit of legalization.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/15/world/europe/15iht-letter.html?_r=1&ref=the_female_factor