Paper short abstract:

The paper explores the experiences of migrant women from Lesotho that work as domestic workers in South Africa. Using feminist tools of analysis, It explores how these migrant women negotiate and construct the meaning of motherhood, how they deal with transnational motherhood.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is based on a study that explores the experiences of ten migrant women who have migrated from Lesotho to work as domestic workers in South Africa. The enquiry is centred on their experiences as mothers who spend extended periods of time away from their children and in turn have to take care of their employer's children in South Africa. The study is motivated by the increased migration of women in the southern African region, as is the trend global, and the social impact that the migration of women has on sending communities and families. The study aims to look at the construction of motherhood and childcare in an era of increased female migration. In addition, it aims to highlight the importance of childcare for both migrant sending and receiving countries, to contribute to scholarly work on migration and gender studies and to advocate for policies that improve the conditions of migrant domestic works in particular and domestic workers in general.