Nannies

The focus of my hypertext will be on the social, economic, and psychological challenges of being a nanny in American society. I would like to focus on older nannies, preferably in the age group of 30-50, who have their own families and established lives. Furthermore, I would like to focus on nannies that have immigrated to the United States from regions such as South America, Africa, and the Middle East. If I can’t find enough data on this demographic, then I’ll just stick to the age group.

My hypertext will explore the low-wage lifestyle that many nannies endure in order to make a living. Most make an amount that’s barely above the minimum wage so it becomes a struggle to support themselves and their families. Furthermore, they have to work long hours to compensate for the low hourly wage. I will also try to depict the psychological problems that tend to plague nannies due to the stressful nature of their job. One such ailment is the ‘burn-out syndrome’, which occurs after an immense taxation of a nanny’s energy by the demands of the workplace. It is generally described as a feeling of physical and psychological exhaustion and is often coupled with a sense of frustration or apathy. In addition, I want to study how agencies treat their hired nannies and if the nannies, themselves, possess any form of independence while in such agencies. Lastly, I would also like to illustrate some of the gender problems that afflict the field. The vast majority of nannies are women, and women generally make less than men (about 77% of every male dollar per hour). As a result, I want to explore if this is one of the primary factors that contributes to the fact that nannies make such a low wage.