Teehan, Miriam (2024) From ‘Cottage to Crèche’ and Back: An Examination of Childcare and Au Pairship in Ireland. PhD thesis, National University of Ireland Maynooth.

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Abstract

Ireland has changed in recent decades with increasing gender equality, women working outside the home, and the ongoing secularisation of society. However, these advances are accompanied by rising costs and a national shortage in access to formal childcare services. This dissertation addresses how Irish families cope and adapt in this context. Through ethnographic analysis, it explores the strategies that families employ to manage domestic and economic circumstances, interrogates how these approaches affect their parental and household needs, and evaluates their success in satisfying the requirements of the domestic unit. Through the specific lens of au pairs and host families in Ireland, this research examines how these relationships are politically and socioeconomically situated. This research considers the impact of childcare choices, such as the decision to employ au pairs, upon the most intimate kinship relations of the family, particularly mothering; it asks how these familial bonds are disrupted, maintained, or reshaped over time by the addition of an au pair into the family unit? This thesis investigates how boundaries and meanings of kinship are negotiated in circumstances where ‘care’ is commodified. I look at the tensions that arise in these interactions and the impacts of crossing or violating boundaries. This study follows the journey of au pairs and host families from their first expectations through the construction of boundaries and the creation of kinship ties and possible breakdowns of such relationships. I examine the establishment and negotiation of boundaries within the household, by both the au pair and host family, using the theoretical framework of boundary work. In addition, I address the dynamics of contemporary Irish kinship, focusing on the idea of ‘fictive kinship,’ to investigate the relationships that emerge between au pairs and host families. For both the au pairs and host families, tensions surrounding the experience of familial-like relationships highlights the complex nature of these dynamics. In this thesis, I follow my research participants as they navigate this fragile territory in the nexus of everyday practices, routines, and experiences.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Keywords:	Cottage to Crèche; Examination; Childcare; Au Pairship; Ireland;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Anthropology
Item ID:	19042
Depositing User:	IR eTheses
Date Deposited:	15 Oct 2024 11:17
URI:
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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