Scrubbing staircases in Norway: the job that doesn't pay off in Spain
Scrubbing staircases in Norway: the wage Spain won't pay. When decent work becomes a luxury.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Scrubbing staircases in Norway: the job that doesn't pay off
What does Norway have that Spain doesn't, so that a Spanish woman scrubs staircases there rather than at home? The short answer is the wage. The long answer lies in how we call dignity what is often just precarity.
The difference is measured in euros, not in effort. When your pay lets you live comfortably, attacks on your dignity fade away. In Norway, an unskilled job provides a decent life; in Spain, the same job barely covers survival and carries a stigma the Nordic countries don't know.
The wage factor, the great dignity switch-off
The paradox is nothing new. For decades, migrants have done cleaning and care work in Spain that they wouldn't do in their home countries. Now, the other way around, a Spanish woman crosses the border for the same thing. When the pay isn't worth it, dignity becomes an excuse. When it is, it gets redefined.
Social media and prestige: the background noise
The case has also reignited the debate over social media: some want to do away with camera phones because virality inflates anecdotes. Others point out that many Norwegians choose to retire in Spain. No answer settles the argument.
The uncomfortable question is not why someone scrubs staircases in Norway, but why the same job in Spain remains so badly paid and even worse regarded. What's new is that this time the protagonist is a Spanish woman.
What does Norway have that Spain doesn't, so that a Spanish woman scrubs staircases there rather than at home? The short answer is the wage. The long answer lies in how we call dignity what is often just precarity.
The difference is measured in euros, not in effort. When your pay lets you live comfortably, attacks on your dignity fade away. In Norway, an unskilled job provides a decent life; in Spain, the same job barely covers survival and carries a stigma the Nordic countries don't know.
The wage factor, the great dignity switch-off
The paradox is nothing new. For decades, migrants have done cleaning and care work in Spain that they wouldn't do in their home countries. Now, the other way around, a Spanish woman crosses the border for the same thing. When the pay isn't worth it, dignity becomes an excuse. When it is, it gets redefined.
Social media and prestige: the background noise
The case has also reignited the debate over social media: some want to do away with camera phones because virality inflates anecdotes. Others point out that many Norwegians choose to retire in Spain. No answer settles the argument.
The uncomfortable question is not why someone scrubs staircases in Norway, but why the same job in Spain remains so badly paid and even worse regarded. What's new is that this time the protagonist is a Spanish woman.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (50 replies).
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