Citation

Wies JR. Glob. Public Health 2009; 4(5): 464-476.

Affiliation

Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/17441690902815470

PMID

19504376

Abstract

Recent decades have witnessed the professionalisation of carework in the USA, including the work of caring for the elderly, people living with mental/physical disabilities and other vulnerable populations. In the past, carework was primarily performed by family members or others as a service. Using an ethnographic case study of domestic violence shelter advocacy as a sector in the carework industry, this article defines boundaries as a mechanism for creating and maintaining organisational and attitudinal professionalism. The discourse of boundaries is also a lens through which domestic violence advocates articulate the multiple pressures they negotiate, as they embrace and resist their professional identities.

Language: en