Abstract
One of the current forms of servitude, domestic work is highlighted by the high demand for children and elderly care, recognized as an essential service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Few categories have been so affected by the health and social crisis associated with COVID-19 due to its insecurity - labor, wages, exposure, and vulnerability - in the face of the pandemic. Based on ethnographic data from doctoral research carried out in 2011 on a network of nannies, who sometimes acted as domestic workers, and in dialogue with the care theory literature, we discuss how the experiences of social distancing were expanded by the COVID-19 pandemic and update the dynamics that operate in the relationships between different social categories in Brazilian society, foreseeing what may be a new element in the existing social interaction. In conclusion, we discuss the so-called cultures of servitude, highlighting that, in these cases, servitude does not imply rigidity, but plasticity, which makes affection become a commodity that values Latin American domestic workers differently in the labor market, where this characteristic is a comparative advantage that boosts the affection market.
Key words:
Social inequalities; Female work; Social distancing; COVID-19; Servitude