Objective: Like most Western countries, France is faced with rapid changes in how social welfare and care regimes are being organized. Home care for the elderly has been closely affected by such trends. This study will analyse the consequences of such developments on work schedules and working conditions of female home care workers. Methods: We carried out 55 biographical interviews with experienced female home care workers employed by six associations as well as 13 interviews with representatives of those associations. Results: The findings reveal an increase in time pressure linked to a reduction in care time per care recipient as well as the fragmentation of care work. These conditions negatively affect the provision of quality care as well as care workers' physical and mental well-being and blur the distinction between workers' professional and home lives. Conclusions: The negative impacts observed call for a change in perspective in relation to how home care work for fragile, elderly people is organized. Our research bears out the necessity of drawing on the experience of the most highly-qualified care workers and entrusting them with the autonomy needed to manage the care time allotted to each care recipient.
Résumé Au milieu des années quatre-vingt, la sociologie des rapports sociaux de sexe interpellait la psychodynamique du travail par les voix d’H. Hirata et de D. Kergoat en démontrant que cette dernière ne pouvait faire l’économie des rapports sociaux de sexe. On voudrait ici attirer l’attention sur un prolongement possible de cette interpellation en invitant à poser la question de l’articulation des rapports sociaux de sexe à d’autres rapports de pouvoir, pour analyser les rapports entre santé et travail de migrantes et migrants. Cet article traite de la précarisation de la santé au travail de salarié-e-s migrantes et migrants, cantonné-e-s depuis plusieurs années en bas de l’échelle des qualifications dans un secteur caractérisé par un important turn over et une organisation du travail prenant appui sur la précarisation professionnelle : l’hôtellerie. Il s’intéresse plus particulièrement à deux groupes professionnels : les femmes de chambre et les veilleurs de nuit. Il analyse comment l’articulation de la division sociale, ethnique/racisée et sexuelle du travail entreconstruisent la précarisation de la santé au travail, selon des chemins parfois communs aux femmes et aux hommes, mais le plus souvent différents pour ces deux groupes de sexe.
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