Young Spanish Women Migrants as Au Pairs in the UK: Cleaning and Childcare During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Since the 2008 financial crisis, the UK has emerged as a popular destination for young Spanish women navigating labour precariousness through (formerly intra-European Union) migration. Many adopt the au pair pathway as a strategic means to improve their English language skills and enhance future employability. However, while framed as a “cultural exchange”, the au pair scheme has faced sustained critique for masking a reality often characterised by precarious work, exploitation, and even abuse due to the great dependency of au pairs on host families and the various forms of worker control au pairs are exposed to. These dynamics were only exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on seven qualitative interviews with au pairs with a Spanish migration background and direct experience as an au pair by one of this article’s authors, this article applies the labour process theory (LPT) to interrogate the deterioration of living and working conditions for au pairs in the UK. The analysis demonstrates how the interplay of three distinct worker control mechanisms, intersecting with gendered vulnerabilities, intensified the subjugation of this specific group of domestic and care workers during the global health crisis.