Trabajadoras domésticas remuneradas del Área Metropolitana de Buenos Aires: experiencias de organización y reconocimiento mediadas por plataformas sociodigitales

Abstract

The domestic service sector in Argentina is significant for many women workers. It is a highly feminized sector, closely tied to caregiving, and extremely diverse due to the variety of tasks, work modalities, and hours involved. Performed behind “closed doors”, this profession inherently faces challenges in unionization and collective organization. This article analyzes the experiences of organization and collective participation sustained through digital mediation by paid domestic workers. The study ethnographically examines two organizations in the Metropolitan Area of Buenos Aires mediated by digital technologies: a small traditional union holding online assemblies via Facebook and a non-unionized workers’ WhatsApp group. The common thread is that engagement and participation were made possible through the use of socio-digital platforms. Several questions are explored through participant observation in these spaces: How do workers experience participation in collective spaces mediated by digital technologies? What are the scope and limitations of using these platforms in their daily lives and union participation? What other forms of political-union participation exist in virtual interstices? The creation of political-union networks has great potential as they can alter workers’ material conditions and defend their labor rights. They can also serve as spaces for recognition and self-valuation that transform how workers perceive themselves and their fellow workers as a collective.