Abstract

VINCENTI, Antonella Marcucci de. Old persons and immigrated women marginalization: the case of "badanti" in Italy. Cad. psicol. soc. trab. [online]. 2014, vol.17, n.spe, pp.65-74. ISSN 1516-3717.  https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1981-0490.v17ispe1p65-74.

During the last years a new trade appeared in Italy as an adaptive answer to the problems arising from the ageing process of population: that of "badanti". This popular term designates the immigrated women working at old persons homes. This social phenomenon concerns four million people, including workers and assisted. These persons are marginalized and discredited. Discredit is implicit in the denomination itself. "Badanti" comes from the verb "badare" that means "to strictly survey", "to control": the empathy inscribed in the words "care" or "help" is not present. This contribution will analyze this homemade welfare, that, even if it is allowing to face the lack of public services, is disclosing several contradictions. Newspapers are reporting crimes, abandons, arguments for successions, and even contradictions inside mediation organizations. Trade unions have to manage, for example, wars between poor people: "badanti" and old-age pensioners. Anyways, the most sensible contradiction is at the core of the activity. The trade presents several faces and, besides the identification of the "badante" with the assisted person, we find the humiliation and resentment, which result from the conditions of domestic labour and servitude.

Keywords : Badanti; Old person; Pensioner; Domestic labour; Servitude; Right distance; Humiliation; Resentment.

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