Home day-care workers’ aspirations
This article examines a special form of caregiving, home daycare, as it is practised under the institutional framework of Québec. After describing the precarious working conditions of the women involved in this activity, formally as independent workers, the article focuses on the subjective appreciation these workers have of their work : what is the importance they give to the degree of autonomy provided by their status ? In their eyes, what are the best means to improve their working conditions ? How do they see their professional future ? The findings of a survey of 3,769 family daycare service heads carried out in 2011 show a great diversity in this respect. This can be explained by the interweaving of built inequalities in the professional path, the division of labour within the family and the migration experience.