Work

The main cause for most of the women to emigrate was due to economic reasons, although others did so in pursuit of the freedom that the dictatorship in Spain did not offer them. Some came to Belgium to join their partner or a family member who was already working in the country. Others came alone and built their own family in Belgium.

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Many worked in the homes of wealthy Belgian families while their husbands worked mostly in the mines. Some of them even lived in the house of their employers, i.e. they were live-in maids. Their tasks included caring for the children of the couple, cleaning and cooking.

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There were also women like Manuela who worked in restaurants or factories, and there were other enterprising women like María Teresa, who decided to open her own business: a grocery shop selling Spanish products.

 

But work outside the home was not their only occupation. After work, they had to continue looking after their own home and family, so it was difficult to reconcile work and family life.