The Norwegian Government is keen to scrap the country’s long-criticized ‘au pair’ system, on the grounds that it exploits young people from abroad who work in Norwegian homes. The Government has now proposed phasing out the system entirely and seems likely to win majority support in the Norwegian Parliament. The ‘au pair’ system is supposed to be a form of cultural exchange in which young foreigners can spend up to two years as an ‘au pair’ living on an equal footing with a Norwegian family and learning the Norwegian language. Affluent families, in which both parents usually work outside the home, have been accused of using the ‘au pair’ system to acquire relatively cheap maid and nanny services.
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