Like a member of the family: including and excluding paid caregivers in performances of family

Abstract

We explore the construction of family in contemporary families that employ professional providers of childcare and elder care. We find that families and caregivers at times construct family together, including the caregiver as a family member, while at other times, consumers construct family in ways that exclude the caregiver. Through our exploration of these various ways of constructing family, we offer three theoretical contributions. First, we challenge traditional distinctions between consumers and producers and highlight the fluid, contextualised nature of family by demonstrating that some contemporary constructions of family include paid service providers. Second, we elucidate the ways in which the provision and consumption of a service, everyday care, produces a liminal position for some service providers. Finally, we develop a broader understanding of the ways in which performances of family protect cultural values.

Keywords:

• family
• caregiving
• childcare
• elder care
• elderly consumers
• liminality

Notes

¹ The data were collected as part of larger research projects on childcare and elder care; see Barnhart (2009) and Huff (2013).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Michelle Barnhart

Michelle Barnhart is Assistant Professor of Marketing at Oregon State University. She received her PhD from the University of Utah, USA. Her research interests include consumer identity and subject position, ethical consumption and the co-creation of value.

Aimee Dinnin Huff

Aimee Dinnin Huff is an Assistant Professor of Marketing at Oregon State University. She completed her PhD at the Ivey Business School, University of Western Ontario, Canada. Her research interests involve the outsourcing of intimacy and the consumption of illicit products and services.

June Cotte

June Cotte holds the R.A. Barford Professorship in Marketing at Ivey Business School, Western University, Canada. She is the Director of Ivey’s PhD Program, a member of the Board of Directors for the Association for Consumer Research, and serves on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Consumer Psychology. Her current research interests include family consumption and leisure pursuits, especially gambling.