Nanny Families
Practices of Care by Nannies, Au Pairs, Parents and Children in Sweden
By Sara Eldén and Terese Anving
ISBN
978-1529201536Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529201512Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529201543Imprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529201550Imprint
Bristol University PressISBN
978-1529214468Imprint
Bristol University Press
Nanny Families
In the media
On our blog: 'Nanny families, new inequalities and ‘good care’'
Available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence
Paying privately for childcare is a growing phenomenon worldwide, a trend mirrored in Sweden despite the prevalence there of publicly funded daycare. This book combines theories of family practices, care and childhood studies with the personal perspectives of nannies, au pairs, parents and children to provide new understandings of what constitutes care in nanny families.
The authors investigate the ways in which all the participants experience the caring situation, and expose the possibilities and problems of nanny and au pair care. Their study illuminates the ways in which paid domestic care workers 'do' family and care; in doing so, it contributes to wider political and scientific discussions of inequalities at the global and local level, reproduced in and between families, in the context of rapidly changing welfare states.
"Nanny Families underlines that Swedish family life indeed is part of the global care chains discussed by many other researchers. What happens in Swedish families is therefore not just a ‘Swedish affair’…it serves as an example of how gender equality is under reformulation in what is considered to be one of the most gender-equal countries in the world." European Journal of Women's Studies
"...well written, exciting to read, and offers new knowledge about global care chains, welfare, family and gender equality. Eldén and Anving call for a new and more critical debate of care practices." Norwegian Journal of Sociology
“By including the accounts of parents, nannies and au pairs and children, this lively study throws light on themes of family and employment that will become increasingly important.” David Morgan, University of Manchester
Sara Eldén is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Lund University
She researches sociology of family and personal life, feminist theory, and childhood sociology. She is dedicated to developing new methods for researching everyday practices and life narratvies, especially in research with children. She has been a visiting scholar at the Morgan Centre at University of Manchester, and at the Centre for Childhood Studies at University of Leeds.
Terese Anving is a senior lecturer at the Department of Gender Studies at Lund University. She researches sociology of gender and family relationships, with a special focus on inequalities of everyday life.
Introduction: Nannies, Au Pairs, Parents and Children in Sweden
Researching Families and Paid Domestic Care
Parents Emplying Nannies and Au Pairs
Nannies and Au Pairs Doing Care
Children's Narratives of Nanny and Au Pair Care
Caring Complexities: Care Situations and Ambiguous Expectations
Conclusion: Doing Nanny Families
