Cuidados "en cadena": cuerpos, emociones y ética en las residencias de personas mayores

Abstract

This article explores the reality of work of long-term care in nursing homes. The aim is to analyse the effects of the social organization of care work, both in work centers and society, on the experiences of care workers —mostly women who are at the intersection of gender inequality, social class, ethnicity and / or immigration status experiences—. The methodology used is qualitative and includes in-depth interviews with care workers, managers and technical staff and participant observation following care workers during their daily routines in two centers, one in Madrid and one in Paris. This research relies on concrete work situations to problematize the idea that care is related to the immaterial (affects, emotions, love). On the one hand, because emotions are embedded in the material interactions; on the other hand, because context is key to understand how the ethics of care are produced (good/bad caring).