Both transnational gestational surrogates (TGS) and migrant nannies are
economically exploited, socially marginalised and engage in kinning beyond genetics. Yet,
academically speaking, these roles were never put in comparison to one another. Previous
research mainly focused on analysing self-perceptions of the two roles or examining their
media framings, without much probing into audience interpretations. Hence, through
semi-structured interviews with the general public, the research will analyse ...
Both transnational gestational surrogates (TGS) and migrant nannies are
economically exploited, socially marginalised and engage in kinning beyond genetics. Yet,
academically speaking, these roles were never put in comparison to one another. Previous
research mainly focused on analysing self-perceptions of the two roles or examining their
media framings, without much probing into audience interpretations. Hence, through
semi-structured interviews with the general public, the research will analyse how the roles of
TGS and migrant nannies differ/overlap and whether there is an existing social hierarchy
amongst them. Furthermore, by exposing members of the public to media framings through
documentaries in focus group discussions, the research will examine whether the initial
social imaginaries of TGS and migrant nannies can be altered. The results of my PhD thesis
will incentivise conducting further research on internal hierarchies in the care sector and
demonstrate the permeability of media framings in documentaries on care labour issues.
+