9701367 Ruggie While much research to date examines the process of immigration to the U.S. and the reasons for immigrating, little attention has been paid to the tranformative impact of immigration on American society in cities where immigrants are concentrated. This research explores the relationship between an increasingly plentiful supply of immigrant domestic workers upon American family structure and the employment patterns of native, middle-class women. Specifically, it is hypothesized that by expanding the domestic service labor force, female immigration has encouraged growth in labor force participation by native, middle-class women in cities with high immigration rates. Current models which seek to explain female labor supply and the gendered division of household labor do not account for the local prevalence of domestic service employment, although much anecdotal evidence indicates it is a critical factor. By identifying historical trends in female labor supply and immigration across U.S. cities, the dynamics of this relationship, and its association with other facts, will be explored. In addition, ethnographic interviews with employer households and immigrant domestics in a low- and high-immigration city will illuminate the mechanisms through which supply and demand for domestic labor articulated. Data from U.S. Census tapes and publications will be analyzed along with data from 60 interviews with housecleaners and babysitters in New York City and Philadelphia. ****
