Bourdieu and domination and transformation in everyday life: Strategies of “domestic helpers”

Abstract

This study aims to reveal the everyday experiences of “domestic helpers” who work as cleaners in private households, as well as their perceptions of their work and the relationships they establish with their employers, based on their own narratives. It also analyzes how Pierre Bourdieu’s forms of capital function not only as mechanisms of domination but also as sources of limited transformation. Based on a qualitative research design, the study is grounded in in-depth interviews conducted with 11 women residing in Çanakkale and working in the domestic service sector. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings indicate that these women are particularly exposed to symbolic and structural forms of domination in areas such as wages, working hours, break entitlements, and job control. However, the capital types held by their employers also create, albeit limited, meaningful cultural and social transformations in the women’s lives.