Same work, same value? Paid domestic workers’ and housewives’ struggles for rights in Uruguay and Paraguay

Abstract

Domestic labour has been historically undervalued. This article focuses on organizations of women who perform this activity – housewives and paid domestic workers – and their demands for recognition and rights, arguing that despite their shared interests, there are differences that interrupt their common experiences and add tension to their interactions. Drawing on interviews and participant observations, this article analyses the relationship between paid domestic workers’ and housewives’ organizations in Uruguay and Paraguay, highlighting social divisions around the distribution of domestic labour and discussing how the articulation of differences can lead either to further reproducing inequalities between these groups, or to contesting and overcoming them. The contrast between the cases shows how ‘racialized’ contexts use ethnic differences to naturalize the undervaluing of domestic workers, overlooking similarities and hindering collaboration between groups.