The Equal Care Day between Gender and Migration – How global “care chains” maintain exploitation of migrant workers worldwide!

Equal Care Day, annually on February 29.02th. or evasive on March 01.03st, draws attention to the lack of appreciation and unfair distribution of care and nursing work. February 29th was not chosen by chance; it is as rare as appreciation itself. It should not be forgotten: care is not only unfairly distributed between the genders, but also along global poverty axes!

If we really want to do justice to Equal Care Day today, we must not only look at it in terms of gender, but also have to keep an eye on the aspect of migration. It is not enough to repeat what we have all known for a long time every year: women spend more time than men on unpaid care work and also shoulder the mammoth share of the professional sector of care work. But what we also need is awareness of the fact that care work is linked to global migration processes.

“While the Global North benefits emotionally and economically from employing a migrant woman, she herself receives neither fair pay nor adequate recognition. The fact that nursing workers from Eastern Europe and the Global South are viewed as an “inexpensive resource” shows once again who is being targeted by equality policy in this country and who is entitled to women’s rights. warns Lourdes Martínez, board spokeswoman for DaMigra eV

The invisibility of care work was publicly problematized - for example through the (purely symbolic) applause during the pandemic - but what was and is forgotten is what part of the burden lies with migrant and refugee women. Their proportion is particularly high in the (under)paid nursing professions. Responsible for this are, among other things, global “care chains” that essentially continue colonial exploitation. While migrants take on care and nursing tasks in the destination country, their own children remain in their home country. There they are cared for by (female) relatives, neighbors or poorly paid employees. The care work is shifted emotionally and economically to other women.

Part of these “care chains” is also the exploitative reality that awaits migrant workers in the destination country. They come to Europe and Germany to meet the increasing demand for care work - and end up in precarious working conditions. The economically developed countries not only enrich themselves with the labor of migrants, but also devalue them in the process. This is where we have to look and focus! Fair wages and good and healthy working conditions must also apply to women in labor migration. This is also what Convention No. 190 of the International Labor Organization on the Elimination of Violence in the World of Work stipulates!

We demand global solidarity and clear efforts from Germany and Europe to make the “care chains” fairer and to overcome colonial dependencies. This includes the recognition of care work, but also international standards for care work. As a reminder: Goal 8 of the United Nations 2030 Agenda provides for the protection of labor rights and a safe working environment, particularly for migrant temporary workers. The reality is different.

DaMigra eV represents the interests of women migrant organizations and their concerns and advocates equal opportunities, equal participation and the equality of women with a history of migration and refugee experience in Germany. DaMigra follows the approach of anti-racist feminism.