When Leonora found herself working as a maid in the United States, the familiar line between employer and servant blurred. She was brought up as a servant in Brazil, and was more comfortable with a clear delineation between her employers and herself. Leonora's experience is part of a larger picture that shows how globalization and transnational migrations are changing the way women think about work and how it affects their lives and social position. The Congress is sponsored by the University of California, San Francisco's School of Nursing in affiliation with the International Council on Women's Health Issues and other co-sponsoring institutions.
Situational changes influence how women view their own work and their own worth.
The majority were partnered or married when they moved and about half had children. Most women left Brazil between 1985 and 1994, a time of pervasive economic instability with hyper-inflation, low wages, and high costs of living, said Messias. Migratory movements have had a profound affect on the work and employment patterns of women, and the Brazilians were no exception. Some of the participants were well-educated, professional women who, in Brazil, had employed maids and servants of wtheir own. In the United States, they suddenly found themselves working as house cleaners, baby sitters, or restaurant workers.