Review of: Maria Orthofer: Au-Pair: Von der Kulturträgerin zum Dienstmädchen. Die moderne Kleinfamilie als Bildungsbörse und Arbeitsplatz. Wien u.a.: Böhlau Verlag 2009.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14766/840Keywords:
Beruf, Familie, Gleichstellung, Geschlecht, GenderAbstract
Orthofer examines au pairs in Austria during the time period from 1980 to 2000. The historical predecessors of the au pair system, cultural exchanges for young women and servants, are also presented. The author examines “guest families,” as the author calls the employers, from the middle and upper classes by utilizing the au pair applications submitted to a church-based agency. Orthofer contends that during the time period studied there existed a generally harmonious relationship between au pairs and their guest families. Since 2001, or since the legal expansion of the au pair system also to eastern Europeans, one can see a marked change in the relationship: Au pairs are now brokered by (internationally acting) profit-oriented businesses. Instead of being an educational program with a “small service component,” today’s programs place “cheap domestic service” in the foreground.
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2010-05-14
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Copyright (c) 2010 Claudia Gather
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