ABSTRACT
The argument and the reflections expressed in this essay derive from my readings of secondary historical research and from my primary research on Latina immigrant women’s paid domestic work in Los Angeles. For an occupational study of paid domestic work, I conducted in-depth, audiotaped interviews with 68 people. These included interviews with 23 domestic workers (20 of whom were Latina immigrant women), 37 employers of various racial ethnic and class backgrounds, three attorneys specializing in legal issues surrounding private, paid domestic work, and with five individuals who owned or worked in domestic employment agencies. I also spoke more casually-without my tape recorder and interview guide-with many more domestic workers, employers, and several organizers and attorneys.
