Working abroad in educational and occupational experiences of individuals (as exemplified by migrant live-in/elderly caregivers in Germany). Selected survey results

As a response to social needs, the job of a round-the-clock live-in caregiver for the elderly is a type of employment that requires mobility in the demanding labour market. The cause for this has been a rapidly growing demand for senior care. In the German market, caregiver’s work is particularly often carried out by migrant workers, including Polish nationals. As a Poland’s close neighbour sharing broadly the same cultural background, Germany has become for many Poles a potential labour market. A bilateral survey was carried out to identify experiences, earlier educational and occupational paths, motivations, opinions, evaluations, and attitudes of respondents employed as migrant live-in caregivers in German households. The sample consisted of 119 individuals. The survey results demonstrate that the respondents view their occupation as caregivers as, on the one hand, a source of income and an escape from financial hardship and, on the other hand, a challenge that allowed them to prove their value and satisfy the need to be useful. Working as caregivers, they learn and develop their interpersonal skills (relations with other people, patience, humbleness) and intramental skills (reflections on the transience of human life, the old age, handling the death and loss).

Ireland’s March 2024 Constitutional Referendums. Has Ireland Taken a Step Back?

In Ireland, the institution of referendum is an important means of shaping the country’s political reality. As a result, the sovereign expresses his opinion on the most important issues, including changes to the constitution. Since the act was passed in 1937, citizens have voted on 40 amendments, 11 of which have been rejected. The last time this happened was on March 8, 2024. The 39 Amendment to the Constitution proposed to change the content of art. 41 so that it takes into account a broader concept of family. The purpose of amending Amendment No. 40 was expanding the concept of family care. The analysis presented in the text aims to present the circumstances that led to the rejection of the government’s proposal to change the constitution in the referendum. The research used primarily the legal and dogmatic method, as well as the decision-making and behavioral methods.