The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Domestic Workers in India

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown has a dire impact on the domestic workers around the world. Being an integral part of the informal workspace, the domestic work is associated with all the characteristics of informality. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the existing issues and challenges for workers in the domestic workspace. A major consequence of the pandemic-induced lockdown and confinement measures is the reduction of working hours or loss of job resulting from fear and restricted mobility. Citing the evidence from the literature this chapter discusses the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the employment of domestic workers in the cities. After three months of lockdown in India the job-insecurity is further intensified both in terms of availability and securing deserving wages. Using data collected through interviews over the phone and canvassing the Google forms among workers, NGOs and employers in Ahmedabad and Kolkata, it argues that middle class insecurities among employers intensify the struggle for the domestic workers going beyond the mortality and morbidity risks associated with COVID-19 pandemic. With a few exceptions the results imply deterioration in terms of employment and employer-employee relationship.