Research Topic:

Housekeeping for Wealthy Households in 21st century Britain

Supervisors:

Dr Don Slater (Department of Sociology) and Dr Jana Melkumova-Reynolds (Department of Sociology)

Research Interests:

Domestic Space; Domestic Work; Practice Theory; Status; Consumption; Britishness

Thesis Abstract:

My doctoral thesis looks at the spatial and contractual relationships between paid housekeepers and their wealthy employers in London and South East England. Through interviews with employers, employees, and intermediary figures, along with textual analysis of job posts and estate agent listings, I aim to explore how domestic space is negotiated as both home and workplace.

Publications:

Reynolds, M. (2022) Downstairs, Upstairs: The Division of Domestic Space Between Domestic Workers and Super-Rich