In chapter 6, I argued that the tension provoked by the conflicting interests inscribed within the domestic work relationship was resolved at the legislative level to the benefit of the employer. One area where the issue of competing interests is most acute concerns that of maternity. Chapter 4 discussed how the national organisation for domestic workers, the ACLI-COLF, historically viewed domestic work as an important support service to the Italian family. But what importance has been afforded to the family life of live-in domestic workers? The answer to this question raises issues in relation to a number of areas. Firstly, the notion of female solidarity is challenged. Recourse to livein domestic workers to resolve the difficulties of reproductive care for some women disadvantages other women (in this instance migrant women) disproportionately. Secondly, it reveals the development of new modes of family organisation for some migrant families. These alternative models do not resemble existing Italian models of family organisation and, in some instances, actually reverse previous state strategies relating to families and children. These models also tend to disregard the specific function that migrant families have assumed in migration destination countries. Examples in other countries have demonstrated that ethnic minority families can act both as an important buffer to racism and as a forum for positive self-identity for family members. 1 Finally, as Romero's (1997, p. 152) research as shown in relation to the North American context: 'Exploring domestic service from the perspective of the workers' children provides insights into the hidden costs of maintaining the white, middle-class patriarchal ideal of the American family'.