And the article cites a bunch of interesting numbers and hints at the somewhat ugly class struggle that's going on.
As their expectations for a better quality of life rise, nannies are increasingly seeking to work for the very wealthy and becoming less affordable for many middle-class families. The shift is causing ripples of class tension, posing a nettlesome problem in a society in which more women are entering the work force without the sort of elaborate system of day care that exists in some industrialized nations.
Fading fast are the days when white-frocked nannies worked for a menial salary, with only two days off every 15 days. Better-qualified nannies are refusing to work weekends and are demanding salaries that are two to four times what they were paid just five years ago. A growing number are refusing to sleep over or are leaving the field, choosing jobs that allow more time for a private life, according to parents, nannies and directors of nanny placement agencies.
The income of domestic employees in Brazil, including nannies and maids, rose 34 percent from 2003 to 2009 — more than twice the average increase for all of Brazil’s active workers — said Marcelo Neri, an economist at the Getúlio Vargas Foundation. At the same time, he said, the working hours of domestic employees fell by 5 percent to 36.2 hours a week.
Upwardly Mobile Nannies Move Into the Brazilian Middle Class (Thanks Celina Su and Momoko!)
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Wow, I cannot believe the kind of attitude the rich Paulistas have toward this improvement in the quality of life of the nannies. Did you see some of their comments?? That the nannies were a "mafia" because they shared information? That they, the rich mothers, were "hostages" because the nannies are starting to demand living wages? The fact that people were asking the agency for more "humble" babás, probably because they didn't want the woman to know about her worker's rights? These kinds of comments disgust me! But I think the last woman's comment summed it up: that Brazil's progress needs "to allow everyone to participate in the growth."
ReplyDeleteBrazil is slowly going to use it's feudal-system-like society, whether the upper class likes it or not.
Yeah, Danielle, I know. And I think those attitudes are most common in São Paulo, perhaps. Did you follow the recent controversy about the subway station in Higienópolis? It was all kinds of gross. But attitudes will change, it'll just take a long time. This is a country that had a lot of slaves just over a century ago.
ReplyDeleteAnd "humble"? We all know it is code for poor, uneducated, and unaware of one's rights. And, of course, subservient.
From my experience, the middle class is the most scared and panicky with the new middle class. Especially in SP, again (they voted for Serra!) The upper class still feels untouchable and probably is happy with less criminals on the street...
@Danielle
ReplyDeletePretty funny is also that a black man can't get into the Hamptons or the Orange County no matter how hard he tries, eh?
I don't think the reporter did enough research into this 'trend' that is apparently occurring in Brazil. As a Brazilian raised in England and now living in an upper-middle class home in Rio de Janeiro, with family members who employ nannies, I have seen this 'trend' in a very different light. A lot of nannies still work weekends, in fact a cafe I regularly go to for my morning coffee very often 'sports' rich couples sipping on their lattes whilst young black nanny dressed all in white sits beside said couples entertaining their kids for them. Necessary on a Sunday whilst not at work?
ReplyDeleteI also know families that employ sleep over nannies and holiday nannies, yes even for the holidays. One particular young girl has a baby younger than that of the employer's children waiting at home for her every night. And the petty gossip I hear about who's nanny or cleaner does what with her personal life is enough to make my skin crawl!I am not at all surprised that the SP upper class are using terms such as 'mafia'.
I'm not saying I'm some sort of Mother Theresa but after seeing these girls work their butts off in order to feed their families and pay for a small apartment hours outside of the city, I have see enough to think twice about even possibly hiring help for my own family in the future. I especially would never ask my help to dress in a degrading white uniform in order to socially stereotype them as hired help whilst they wait for my children outside of their schools. In fact the writer for the film 'The Help' didn't need to write a period drama, he/she could have simply spent a month in Brazil to see that the sort of shenanigans still regularly occur in a country such as Brazil where 'racial equality' is in fact more a 'racial tolerance'. I could go on and on about this issue but what really makes me laugh at the article is that the NY Times doesn't even allow comments on the article for people like myself who just happened to come across the piece whilst doing research online.
I agree, Nastassja - about the film, the attitudes, the racism. I also think things are changing. Not in a nice way, juts how it's supposed to be: with a lot of resistance by the status quo, and VERY slowly.
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