Ernestine M. Avila’s scientific contributions

... Female domestic workers who have migrated, whether permanently or temporarily, from the rural to the urban areas are often referred to as 'ayi' (aunt), a generic term that has largely replaced other descriptions including 'baomu' (nurse), 'nanny' , 'maid' (Sun, 2008), or 'domestic servant' (Parreñas, 2001) in recent years. We refer it to all female domestic workers, in this paper, following recent academic and industry conventions (He & Leurs, 2024), Ayi, despite signifying mainly the professional identity in a respectful way, is still associated with negative connotations of this classed and gendered service industry, as ayi are often objectified (or rather instrumentalised), othered, and stigmatized. ...

Reference:

Becoming Ayi: Chinese female domestic workers' transformation from docile bodies to wilful subjects Becoming Ayi: Chinese female domestic workers' transformation from docile bodies to wilful subjects