Ok, so the work is obviously genderized. Although, even though the two jobs have distinct differences such as "working in a private home or establishment..." and "working in a building.." (Mignon 119) they can still be contrasted. They do primarly the same work but in a different matter. The maid's job is described as "light" (Mignon 118) and I disagree. Anything that's a musculoskeletal threat is actually a hard job. The janitors were not told to go through work such as that. The maids may actually work harder than the janitors considering all the other negative perks of working within someone's household.
My question is, since there IS such a thing as a "live-in cook," Would the job still be feminized and be considered light if it were a male working within an establishment or private home? And lets not forget the janitors, female janitors exist. If the maid work is described as "light" (Mignon 118) but is actually more life-threating, how well would a female janitor operate in an office building where the work is considered "heavy" (Mignon 118) possibly through a male perspective?
When you write "Although, even though the two jobs have distinct differences such as "working in a private home or establishment..." and "working in a building.." (Mignon 119) they can still be contrasted" you meant that even though the jobs may be performed in different settings/places, the actual task/labor is similar, right? So they can be compared, not contrasted, right?
ReplyDeleteThe "negative perks of working within someone's household" are very important. What are they? And why may these be seen as making the maid's work harder than that of a janitor?
I think, and I believe that Duffy would agree, that a cook in an establishment would be viewed differently than a cook in a private home. Even the living-in aspect in a private home versus an establishment would be construed differently (here you mean living in an employer's home versus living in a hotel where one is a cook?). The question about a male janitor is an interesting one. Do you think the building manager would hire a woman over a man for the janitor's position?