Sustaining Care Work in Disaster Contexts: Experiences from Dominican Republic

Authors

Keywords:

care work, domestic work, occupational risks, environment, Dominican Republic

Abstract

Domestic and care workers, a highly feminized and racialized workforce, are exposed to a variety of risks, including weather-related risks such as hurricanes or flooding, health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and risks related to work as chemical contamination. While some of these risks affect the Dominican Republic as a whole, domestic and care workers experience a particular situation of vulnerability due to the fact that their workplace is also a private home. This creates a situation of invisibility and isolation, and both labor regulations and disaster management plans are often forgotten. Based on the lessons learned from the 'Hogares Ecológicos' project, led by FENAMUTRA, this article proposes to conceive the daily risks faced by vulnerable female workers as part of the continuum of disaster prevention and management, while at the same time trying to show the interconnection between occupational risks and environmental. In addition, public policy recommendations are provided to improve the workplace, community infrastructure and strengthen the resilience of domestic and care workers.

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Published

2023-10-02

How to Cite

Acciari, L., & Díaz R. E. (2023). Sustaining Care Work in Disaster Contexts: Experiences from Dominican Republic. Estudios Del Desarrollo Social: Cuba Y América Latina, 11(Número Especial 3), 1–16. Retrieved from https://revistas.uh.cu/revflacso/article/view/7809
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