Employment Status and Working Conditions: A Situational Analysis of Female Domestic Workers in India

Abstract

Domestic work is emerging as one of the fastest-growing informal sectors; gendered stereotypes coupled with low economic value attached to this sector affect the working conditions and quality of life of women engaged in domestic work. Using data collection methods such as scheduled questionnaire surveys and focus group discussions, information was collected from 600 participants from three states: Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Mizoram (200 from each). Participants were chosen using the simple random method from the lists provided by the NGOs from cities such as Kochi and Trivandrum (Kerala), Chennai and Trichy (Tamil Nadu) and Aizawl (Mizoram). Data were collected from May 2021 to August 2021. The findings of this study show that the majority of the domestic workers under study experience problems such as poor working conditions, workplace harassment and discrimination at different levels. The realisation that the demand for domestic workers is on the rise, especially in urban India, and the fact that more and more families report the need for such workers prompts us to recognise that it is time to regulate the sector and ensure decent working conditions. Enforcement of decent working conditions and labour rights is essential to ensure that both employers and workers understand the worth and importance of domestic work. The regulation and formalisation of domestic work should be in the interests of both workers and employers because the stakeholders’ rights, responsibilities and liabilities will be well defined, which ultimately will facilitate improving the quality of life for both.