Who is caring for Chinese children in Italy? The case of Prato and the Italian nannies' role in Chinese migrant households
Author
Nava, Sofia Karmark
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2026
Submitted on
2026-01-05
Pages
43
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvorfor og hvordan italienske barnepiger indgår i kinesiske migrantfamilier i Prato, Toscana. Med afsæt i litteratur om globale omsorgskæder og byens kønnede arbejds- og omsorgsregime gennemfører studiet et kvalitativt casestudie baseret på etnografisk feltarbejde, semistrukturerede interviews med fire italienske barnepiger, uformelle samtaler med lokale samt relevante sekundære kilder. Analytisk fokuseres på transnationale husholdninger, reproduktivt arbejde, skellet mellem caring for og caring about samt barnepigernes mæglerroller. Fundene viser, at barnepigerne yder både praktisk omsorg og følelsesmæssig og pædagogisk inklusion af børnene i de italienske familier, og at samarbejdet med forældrene er fleksibelt. Barnepigernes position forhandles relationelt i husholdningen og kan spænde fra ligeværd til underordning. Samtidig optræder de som brobyggere, der forbinder familier til arbejdsmarked, sprog og sociale netværk gennem roller som formidler, sammenføjer og lejlighedsvis som den, der profiterer af afstande mellem parter. Denne omsorgs- og mæglerpraksis sameksisterer med erfaringer af anden-gørelse. Den lokale, familistiske arbejds- og omsorgsstruktur former både italienske kvinders og kinesiske familiers behov, som mødes i en ordning, hvor kinesiske familiers omsorgs- og brobygningsbehov kobles til barnepigernes økonomiske interesser og moderskabets krav. Undersøgelsen er ikke nationalt repræsentativ og belyser særligt forholdene i Prato.
This thesis examines why and how Italian nannies are engaged by Chinese migrant households in Prato, Tuscany. Framed by literature on global care chains and the city’s gendered labor and care regime, it presents a qualitative case study based on ethnographic fieldwork, semi-structured interviews with four Italian nannies, unstructured conversations with local residents, and secondary sources. The analysis centers on transnational households, reproductive labor, the distinction between caring for and caring about, and nannies’ brokerage roles. Findings indicate that nannies provide both practical care and emotional and educational inclusion of children within Italian families, and that collaboration with parents is flexible. Their position is relationally negotiated within households, ranging from parity to subordination. Nannies also act as brokers who connect families to labor market opportunities, language learning, and social networks through roles akin to conduit, bridge-builder, and at times beneficiary of relational gaps. These cooperative practices coexist with experiences of othering. The local familialistic labor and care regime shapes both Italian women’s and Chinese families’ needs, aligning Chinese families’ care and brokerage demands with nannies’ financial interests and the demands of motherhood. The study is not nationally representative and focuses specifically on Prato.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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