Shakira: babysitting story reflects the lives of millions in the USA – 10/18/2023 – Market

The story of Liliana Melgar, a Bolivian who immigrated to Spain 15 years ago, is the same as that of millions of domestic workers who clean, wash, cook and take care of children in homes all over the world. The difference is that she happens to work at Shakira’s house.

The Colombian superstar’s latest video, “El Jefe” (The Boss), featuring Mexican band Fuerza Regida, shows the life of the poor immigrant with ambitious dreams working forever for bad rich bosses without ever receiving a fair salary. Almost at the end of the three-minute song, Melgar appears facing the camera while his boss sings: “Lili Melgar, this song is for you, who never received compensation.”

The clip gave Melgar — who was allegedly fired by Spanish football player Gerard Piqué before being rehired by his ex-partner — unexpected visibility, highlighting the profile of approximately 76 million employees around the world.

The New York Times attempted to speak to Shakira, who currently lives in South Florida, and Melgar, but did not receive a response from either of them. The agent representing the football player did not respond to our request for clarification either.

Domestic workers play a fundamental role in Latin American and Caribbean households, where they represent around 20% of all women in the job market, according to the ILO (International Labor Organization)—the second highest level in the world, second only to the Middle East.

Melgar’s special appearance in the video, which has had more than 57 million views on YouTube, is a bit of revenge — promoted by his famous and rich boss — for his dismissal, but the truth is that his case is an exception in relation to this position. in the last years.

By 2020, domestic workers in most Latin American and Caribbean countries had gained rights that limited weekly working hours, established a minimum wage, created incentives for employers to enter into an official contract, and imposed age restrictions.

The pandemic, however, punished several economies in the region, mainly affecting the category, causing many to lose their jobs. The sector, in fact, has not yet fully recovered. “It seems that we continue to live in times of Covid. If there is a salary reduction, for example, you can never recover,” says Ernestina Ochoa, a 53-year-old domestic worker from Lima, Peru, who helped found the advocacy group União Nacional of Domestic Workers.

Many of the rights that domestic workers won before the pandemic were based on the first wave of laws in Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay and Colombia, won by those who organized themselves into unions. “Paid domestic work basically exists in societies with great economic inequality, and access to it is taken for granted only for those born into a more privileged class”, explains Merike Blofield, professor of political science at the University of Hamburg, Germany, and specialist in domestic work in Latin America.

Although most governments in the region have ratified international agreements to guarantee workers’ rights, many advocacy groups say the pandemic has made it difficult to hold employers who violate the laws accountable. In some cases, the employee was even prevented from leaving the house where she worked because of the fear that she would contract Covid and infect the boss’s family.

The proportion of domestic workers who work under a contract and are entitled to official benefits and protections — in a process known as formalization — is unequal in the region. According to a study carried out in 2020 by the ILO, while in Uruguay this number reaches 70%, in several Central American and Caribbean countries it is no more than 10%.

That same year, a law was passed in Peru requiring domestic workers to be at least 18 years old, but, according to Ochoa, the government has so far shown little interest in enforcing the statute. “Currently, there are still many girls and teenagers working. Government officials don’t see what’s happening, and parents are unable to stop them because they know they don’t have official support,” he explains.

The complicated relationship between Latin American families and the employees on whom they depend has been discussed more openly in recent years, in part because it has been covered in popular culture, including music and cinema, which has helped to draw attention for a virtually invisible workforce.

An example is the film “Roma”, which takes place in Mexico in the 70s, and shows an indigenous nanny who takes care of a white family in Mexico City and ends up getting involved in their daily dramas. The film, released at the end of 2018, stimulated a debate about the view that Latin Americans have of these professionals, considering them part of the family, even if they are poorly paid, exploited or attacked.

And in 2011, a Colombian magazine published a photo showing a rich, white family sitting on an opulent terrace, while two black servants with silver trays in their hands appeared in the background, generating great outrage and emphasizing racial and social relations between employees and employers. On the other hand, the country experienced a historic moment in 2022, when it elected the first black vice president, Francia Márquez, who was already employed.

For Santiago Canevaro, an Argentine sociologist who writes on the topic, domestic work is very common in the region because there is less access to private or government-guaranteed services, such as daycare centers and/or nursing homes, than in developed countries. “With the massive entry of women into the job market, families have become more dependent on nannies and maids, many of whom are not always aware of their rights. As a result, they end up being treated as objects. In fact, if and when the marriage doesn’t work out, one of the decisions to be made is what fate to give the maid.”

Since discrimination against marginalized groups is still very large on the continent, many black and indigenous women turn to domestic service as the only way to support themselves and their family, almost always being exploited, as highlighted by advocacy groups. . “Imposing yourself in the workplace is a constant struggle. It is necessary to always make it clear that, regardless of being black and poor, I have a story and a name. My name is Ernestina”, concludes Ochoa.