Serving the Wealthy: The Exploitation of Domestic Workers in France

The invisible relationship between the ultra-rich and their domestic workersBehind the facades of luxurious Parisian buildings, the immense gates of châteaux, and the bay windows of vast villas on the Côte d'Azur, live the invisible workers who serve the ultra-wealthy of France.Housekeepers, butlers, maids and cleaners, laundresses, nannies, cooks, and chauffeurs work from morning to night-and often through the night-to satisfy the needs of the rich families who employ them.In Serving the Wealthy, Alizée Delpierre offers an inside view of this unlikely cohabitation. Drawing on extensive immersive research, Delpierre calls the relationship between ultra-rich French employers and their domestic help “golden exploitation”: workers see the potential for social advancement, and the wealthy will do anything to preserve their class privilege, enjoying the fruits of their capital while outsourcing daily drudgery to others.The need for round-the-clock serving, however, does not compel the rich