practice. But Kay's story also offers a rare glimpse into the personal decisions made by West Indian women working as domestic servants. Kay is surprised that Mary decides to leave for a pregnancy—to her, the decision just came out of the blue. Kay has no idea whether Mary even has a husband. Kay's surprise about Mary's social life shows the disparity between white bosses' perception of their control over their maids versus the real extent of their authority. Though the sources are silent on the matter, West Indian women probably had some opportunities to socialize with other members of the community during ventures to town to shop or to launder at the river. A pregnancy, proof of a life external to the American home, is surprising to Kay, who presumes that Mary is constantly working. West Indian women like Mary did not in fact live a sequestered life and would quit their jobs to pursue other personal matters. Moreover, Mary saw maternal leave as her right. In the end, Kay fires Mary, but Mary was probably aware of that possibility and still chose to prioritize motherhood. Another common theme in these memoirs is the high turnover of domestics in American households. Elizabeth Parker and Rose Van Hardeveld cycle through four or five maids in the course of their memoirs. Job security for domestics must have been somewhat low, given the abundance of laborers available in the Canal area, especially later in the construction years. Americans could easily replace a servant deemed unfit. On the other hand, the turnover could have been due to domestics who would quit and find new jobs, exerting some control over their environment. Servants, whose work lives were limited by the domestic space, could achieve some mobility by quitting their jobs and finding new bosses. Julie Greene argues that Indian women's] actions seemed “unless [West
practice. But Kay's story also offers a rare glimpse into the personal decisions made by West Indian women working as domestic servants. Kay is surprised that Mary decides to leave for a pregnancy—to her, the decision just came out of the blue. Kay has no idea whether Mary even has a husband. Kay's surprise about Mary's social life shows the disparity between white bosses' perception of their control over their maids versus the real extent of their authority. Though the sources are silent on the matter, West Indian women probably had some opportunities to socialize with other members of the community during ventures to town to shop or to launder at the river. A pregnancy, proof of a life external to the American home, is surprising to Kay, who presumes that Mary is constantly working. West Indian women like Mary did not in fact live a sequestered life and would quit their jobs to pursue other personal matters. Moreover, Mary saw maternal leave as her right. In the end, Kay fires Mary, but Mary was probably aware of that possibility and still chose to prioritize motherhood. Another common theme in these memoirs is the high turnover of domestics in American households. Elizabeth Parker and Rose Van Hardeveld cycle through four or five maids in the course of their memoirs. Job security for domestics must have been somewhat low, given the abundance of laborers available in the Canal area, especially later in the construction years. Americans could easily replace a servant deemed unfit. On the other hand, the turnover could have been due to domestics who would quit and find new jobs, exerting some control over their environment. Servants, whose work lives were limited by the domestic space, could achieve some mobility by quitting their jobs and finding new bosses. Julie Greene argues that “unless [West Indian women's] actions seemed
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