Gender, Labor and Migration: Domestic Workers in Guanajuato, Mexico and Doha, Qatar

This study aims to analyze, from a comparative perspective, the commonalities and differences in paid domestic labor in two locations: Guanajuato, Mexico, and Doha, Qatar. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observation, this dissertation seeks to put women's experiences at the forefront in order to shed light not only on labor conditions in both countries but also on the personal stories that contour this type of work. I argue that paid domestic labor in both countries is rooted in racial and gendered dimensions which are legitimized by the labor and migratory regimes reinforcing these women‘s precariousness and marginalization. Moreover, I state that domestic labor is currently embedded in neo-colonial structures and practices within households, as well as within state policies that deprive women of the nominal status of “workers” and make them subject to models of patriarchal control. The study reflects on the organization of the international division of reproductive labor, and how it affects domestic workers interpersonal relationships within households and families across borders. Lastly, given the structural constraints - legal, economic and emotional– in both states, this dissertation seeks to underscore women´s testimonies and illustrate the varying strategies domestic workers mobilize in order to navigate the boundaries of their workplace, community, or country.