Abstract
The main purpose of Chapter 9 "Social impact of foreign female domestic workers from South Asia and Africa on GCC families" is to investigate the influence of the FFDWs onto the receiving families in the Gulf countries. It presents a profound review of the existing literature on the topic for the last three decades.
The paper comprises of information on background FFDWs immigration in the six Gulf Cooperation Council countries - UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and Saudi Arabia (KSA). It also portrays the causes for the third largest volume of immigrants flow into the Gulf - those of globalization and modernization and their stand-off with the traditional tribal hierarchy of the GCC societies.
The chapter reviews research of FFDWs in GCC countries, describing conditions of their employment, the Kafala system, work conditions and household duties. The author extends the literature review further to draw comparisons between GCC and other countries - considering FFDWs' social impact in the cases of Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon.
Theoretical frameworks pertaining to female migrant agency and Arab family model are both utilized by the author to determine the impact of foreign female domestic workers in the traditional Middle Eastern families. Perceptions of GCC citizens toward FFDWs and their influence in children upbringing and provisions for elderly care are discussed.
Finally, recommendations for policy and practice in GCC countries regarding better relationships between employers and FFDWs are provided. This chapter is intended for the attention of academic community and researchers in GCC countries and worldwide.