Intersecting Identities and Negotiating Boundaries: Relational Dynamics in Care for Older Adults By Migrant Care Workers in Turkey

Turkey has traditionally relied on family-based care for older adults, but with a growing shift towards employing migrant care workers (MCWs), a new caregiving relationship is emerging. This shift brings together two women—often strangers—within the private space of the home, where their relationship is marked by significant emotional and social inequalities. Drawing on intersectional feminist theory, this study examines how the intersection of gender, ethnicity, religion, age, and social class informs the complex dynamics of this care relationship. Older women in Turkey face particular gendered challenges in ageing, and their dependence on a care worker introduces new forms of social interaction and identity negotiation. At the same time, MCWs, often marginalised by their own gender and migrant status, enter these relationships with limited power. This study focuses on the relationship between these two women—who come from different social backgrounds—and how the shifting balance of power and emotional needs shapes their daily interactions. Through in-depth interviews with care receivers, family employers, and MCWs, the study explores how both parties, despite being in close proximity, experience distinct and, at times, conflicting emotional and social realities. Additionally, it also examines how they interpret the norms, values and ideas practised in this dynamic, adding to our knowledge of how various social identities and positions intersect and affect the real-life experiences of both care recipients and MCWs in this unique employer-employee relationship. Central to the analysis are the socio-cultural and emotional boundaries that emerge within these relationships and the inequalities they reinforce. When these boundaries cannot be redrawn, both MCWs and care receivers share ‘silence’ and ‘loneliness’ round the clock in the ‘home’ space. The research highlights the importance of understanding that care relationships are not only transactional but also significantly influenced by the intersecting social realities of those involved.