The care shortage and social acceptance: why the welfare needs of native families subvert immigration policies

The aim of this chapter is to show how the Italian welfare regime has responded to the challenge of a growing demand for elderly care without changing its main features (i.e. the central role of households and domesticity), but incorporating immigrant women as careworkers in domestic settings. Here a “triangle of care” is established, involving frail old people, relatives as “care managers” and immigrant “careworkers”. As these immigrants at the beginning very often were irregular from a legal point of view, Italian families have played a crucial role in regularization campaigns for unauthorized immigrants. In second place, I intend to discuss how this care system operates, how working and personal relations are shaped, and what problems arise. In third place, I aim to shed light on the often neglected aspect of family life and family concerns of immigrant careworkers.