Abstract

Feminists have long argued that the current economic system, especially the standards of national economic accounting, are structured by men in a manner such that they can dominate women, or at least, keep women in ‘their place.’ The truthfulness of such accounts is nowhere more evident than in the case of Filipino caregivers.
Since national economic accounting systems do not recognize the economic value of time women spend in household services or caregiving activities, female labour invested in such caregiving is excluded from both sides of national income, and from product accounts. This means the current economic system has important consequences for women in both the developed and developing world. This system encourages women in the developed world to seek employment outside the house to be considered a productive and contributing member of national economy. However, women in the ¬developed world cannot completely escape childcare and other caregiving responsibilities, hence they employ the labour of women from the developing world. The Filipino story in this thesis is situated within this context. The act of caregiving or raising children within the current neoliberal economy has been turned into a commodity. Like any other commodity, it can be brought when needed and disposed of when not needed anymore.
This thesis is focused on Canada’s policies concerning caregivers in recent years, as well as the occupational and social mobility of these caregivers who became permanent residents through the Live-in Caregiver Program. This thesis also looks at the educational levels of these Filipino caregiver workers upon their arrival, and the type of news or opportunities Canada makes available for them to enhance their education once they become permanent residents of Canada.
In this thesis, I use standpoint theory both as a conceptual framework and a methodology. By interviewing and obtaining narrative accounts of six participants who came from the Philippines, this thesis reveals the difficulties they faced during the life in the Live-in Caregiver Program and the challenges they continue to have after becoming permanent residents.