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Marginalized Agency or Agency at the Margins: Domestic Workers and Informality

Author

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  • Friedman-Sokuler, Naomi
  • Lavee, Einat

Abstract

This paper explores informality in a high income country among women who, at least legally, can take on formal jobs. Specifically, we examine the determinants of paid domestic work in Israel through the lens of existing theoretical frameworks of informality. Using rich administrative data, we identify and characterize domestic workers and their labor market histories and estimate the prevalence and degree of informality. We complement this analysis with a qualitative analysis of interviews with 144 women living in poverty, who describe their choices vis-à-vis informal employment. We find that domestic workers in Israel are best described through a conceptual framework of Marginalized Agency. For them, informal employment is not a choice of last resort but rather a site of control and agency within highly constrained life situations. Nevertheless, the structural constraints associated with informality, in turn, limit the realization of their goals, especially with respect to economic and social mobility.

Suggested Citation

  • Friedman-Sokuler, Naomi & Lavee, Einat, 2025. "Marginalized Agency or Agency at the Margins: Domestic Workers and Informality," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1584, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:glodps:1584
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Fátima Suleman & Abdul Suleman, 2019. "How Do Household Tasks Shape Employment Contracts? The Provision of Care in Portugal," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(1), pages 174-203, January.
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    3. Meryl Altman & Kerry Pannell, 2012. "Policy Gaps and Theory Gaps: Women And Migrant Domestic Labor," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 18(2), pages 291-315, April.
    4. Randy Albelda, 2001. "Fallacies of Welfare-to-Work Policies," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 577(1), pages 66-78, September.
    5. Naila Kabeer, 1999. "Resources, Agency, Achievements: Reflections on the Measurement of Women's Empowerment," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 30(3), pages 435-464, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Informality; Domestic work; Poverty; Mixed methods;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity
    • J46 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Informal Labor Market
    • I30 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - General

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