Low incomes, fast lives? Exploring everyday temporalities of Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong

Abstract

In the context of social acceleration and the ‘high speed society’, scholars have been preoccupied with making claims and asking questions about ‘fast life’. However, this narrative is mainly constructed around groups that occupy structurally significant positions within the globalized economy. In response to this totalizing narrative of a ‘fast life’, this paper discusses the temporalities of everyday life of Filipina domestic workers in Hong Kong. Drawing on qualitative data, it is evident that for this marginalized group time is constructed in a different manner as they engage in intimate relations with their employers. This not only impacts the temporal organization of activities in time and space, but also reveals distinct qualitative experiences that vary from the typical ‘fast life’ individuals.