Abstract
In this thesis I investigate the concept of au pair and the significant changes in the au pair scheme over the last decade. Earlier associated with live-in language exchange for young Norwegians, the au pair scheme has become an economic migration platform for Filipino women, sparking controversy around the Norwegian middleclass families that partake in and legitimize the scheme on various grounds. As a people that pride itself of being egalitarian, the au pair scheme challenges the sentiments of sameness in Norway. Formally, the intension of the au pair scheme is “cultural exchange”, and is categorized as exchange and education. At the same time, the au pair is expected to do light housework for the families. As the demographic composition of the scheme has changed, this thin line between education and work has increasingly been challenged. In this thesis I look at how au pairing is conceived as wage labour and work, with particular attention to how feminized labour is valued in a Norwegian context. The thesis further explores the massive migration from the Philippines and how the Filipino state promotes and endorse caregivers throughout the world. The thesis is a product of a six-month fieldwork in the Philippines and Oslo. For the first three months I lived with different au pair-families and studied the anti-migration movement Migrante International in the Philippines. For the last three months, I conducted fieldwork in the Filipino au pair-community in Oslo and the Norwegian People’s Aid Au Pair Center, in addition to conducting interviews with Norwegian au pair host families.
In this thesis I investigate the concept of au pair and the significant changes in the au pair scheme over the last decade. Earlier associated with live-in language exchange for young Norwegians, the au pair scheme has become an economic migration platform for Filipino women, sparking controversy around the Norwegian middleclass families that partake in and legitimize the scheme on various grounds. As a people that pride itself of being egalitarian, the au pair scheme challenges the sentiments of sameness in Norway. Formally, the intension of the au pair scheme is “cultural exchange”, and is categorized as exchange and education. At the same time, the au pair is expected to do light housework for the families. As the demographic composition of the scheme has changed, this thin line between education and work has increasingly been challenged. In this thesis I look at how au pairing is conceived as wage labour and work, with particular attention to how feminized labour is valued in a Norwegian context. The thesis further explores the massive migration from the Philippines and how the Filipino state promotes and endorse caregivers throughout the world. The thesis is a product of a six-month fieldwork in the Philippines and Oslo. For the first three months I lived with different au pair-families and studied the anti-migration movement Migrante International in the Philippines. For the last three months, I conducted fieldwork in the Filipino au pair-community in Oslo and the Norwegian People’s Aid Au Pair Center, in addition to conducting interviews with Norwegian au pair host families.