Female Domestic Workers Research Articles

Digital platforms for (female) domestic workers in Chile: Precarization, invisibilization, and mercantilization

Digital platforms for (female) domestic workers in Chile: Precarization, invisibilization, and mercantilization

Perceived discrimination and mental health among female migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong: A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study.

Female migrant domestic workers (MDW), often unemployed in their home country, are household workers that migrate abroad for better wages. Although poor employment conditions have shown detrimental effects on MDWs health, the mental health effect of perceived discrimination remains understudied among MDWs. This mixed-methods study seeks to (a) assess the association between perceived discrimination and mental health among female MDWs and (b) explore in-depth the common ways MDWs experience discrimination. A cross-sectional self-administered survey (n = 1965) was conducted among Filipino and Indonesian MDWs from August 2020 to August 2021 in Hong Kong. A multivariable logistic regression model, controlling for background characteristics, assessed associations between perceived discrimination with anxiety and depression. Qualitative semistructured interviews were then conducted (n = 20) to provide in-depth information about perceived discrimination. Thematic analysis was used to identify the contexts and types of discrimination experienced. Among survey respondents, 60.4% reported ever experiencing discrimination, and 10.5% reported often/always feeling discriminated against. Of MDWs, 18.1% and 31.5% were classified with anxiety and depression, respectively. MDWs reporting higher frequency of discrimination were at increased risk of anxiety (ORadj: 2.30-6.60) and depression (ORadj: 2.06-5.91). In-depth interviews revealed that perceived discrimination inside the workplace (from overwork, lack of autonomy, and employer-imposed restrictions) and outside the workplace (from MDW policies) had strong effects on MDWs' mental health. Increased availability to mental health services should be considered. To improve MDW mental health, policymakers may also regulate maximum weekly working hours and ensure minimum standards for living environments. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Female Domestic Workers in Urban Informal Employment: The Case of Hossana City, Ethiopia

Female Domestic Workers in Urban Informal Employment: The Case of Hossana City, Ethiopia

Decent Work Deficit at its Peak among Female Domestic Workers’ Working Condition in Ethiopia

Decent Work Deficit at its Peak among Female Domestic Workers’ Working Condition in Ethiopia

Knowledge and practices regrading food of female domestic workers (FDW/ Housemaids) in selected areas of Pune city

Knowledge and practices regrading food of female domestic workers (FDW/ Housemaids) in selected areas of Pune city

Struggle, Exit, “Resilience”—or How Precarious Workers Cope with Late Neoliberalism. Individual and Collective Agency of Female Migrant Domestic Workers in Spain

Abstract This article inquires the individual and collective agency of female migrant domestic workers in Spain. I use fieldwork conducted between 2013 and 2023 to examine the interplay between the migrant workers’ individual coping strategies, the claims-making strategies of the domestic workers’ trade union Sindihogar, and the structures they operate within and attempt to challenge. Drawing on contemporary research about precarious workers’ movements, I aim to explore to what extent this social movement union has the potential to reduce the power of structural constraints and increase the power of agency. Implicit is a broader, more provocative question: To what extent is substantial change possible within the current political-economic order, here defined as late neoliberalism? I found that while the movement’s community-building approach may empower activists at an individual level, there are significant structural barriers to its potential to accomplish change in terms of better job conditions for this highly precarious workforce. In addition, I suggest that an increasing focus on precarious workers’ “resilience” risks undermining narratives of structural transformation.

Exhaustion: Migrant mental health, gendered migration and workplace regime

AbstractThis article focuses on the mental health of female migrant workers in Italy. The multi‐method study involved a survey of 157 Moldovan migrant women employed in different jobs and 30 semi‐structured interviews with Moldovan female migrant domestic workers. Quantitative analysis demonstrated that Moldovan domestic workers are affected by poor mental health to a greater extent than Moldovan women employed in other jobs, and that the factors most associated with it were non‐standard working times and having migrated primarily for work reasons. Qualitative data showed how the strain resulting from demanding schedules was intertwined with being a single female labour migrant, whose experience was strongly marked by the gendered dimension of transnational motherhood and a loss of social status. The article concludes that the gendered migration regime and the gendered workplace regime constitute two intertwined and mutually reinforcing determinants of health.

Evaluating Women's Economic Empowerment During COVID-19 Pandemic in South Sulawesi, Indonesia

The factual condition resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has changed and impacted various aspects of Indonesian society. It also made women one of the vulnerable and affected groups, requiring them to face various challenges, including loss of livelihoods as family breadwinners, and gender-based violence. Outside of Java, the region with the highest number of COVID-19 cases is South Sulawesi Province, with a total of 62,672 cases. This had an economic impact on communities and families, particularly affecting women, especially domestic workers, and female heads of households. This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of government policies and programs in South Sulawesi Province regarding domestic workers and female heads of households. It directly conducted interviews with stakeholders from the government, women's organizations, and domestic workers and female heads of households. It found that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted women who are heads of households and female domestic workers. The situation for women leading households worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic as they had to navigate the crisis on their own. The situation and conditions of female domestic workers during the COVID-19 pandemic were also dire. Some of them were unilaterally terminated, while others were forced to work daily at their employers' homes, risking virus transmission during their commute due to inadequate personal protective equipment. Those who were laid off by their employers faced a crisis, as they had no income, especially when their spouses, who also worked in the informal sector, stopped working simultaneously. It revealed that both the government of South Sulawesi empowered female heads of households by distributing productive business capital assistance and providing support for female SMEs to access people's business credit. However, in contrast to the reality faced by female domestic workers, this group of women did not receive any social and economic assistance from the government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Motherhood and Women’s Migration: Evidence from Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong

Female domestic workers often take on multiple roles in different settings, such as that of mothers and migrants. This study focuses on women’s diverse trajectories in timing motherhood and migration from a temporal perspective. Despite the continuities between their paid work for their employers and unpaid care for their own families, both of which are highly feminized, migrant women often face tensions and conflicts between the two; it is difficult to be a good worker and a good mother at the same time. Drawing on the Survey of Foreign Domestic Workers in Hong Kong, this study provides a quantitative picture of how some women decide to move before becoming mothers and some afterward, as well as their different long-term mobility tendencies. The findings lend support to a selectivity process that highly educated women are more likely to be non-mother migrants; they are more likely to move at a younger age and when they are unmarried. However, over time, migrants who were mothers at the time of their first migration are more likely to conduct multiple moves. Such mixed findings suggest that women’s migration is interrelated with motherhood in complex ways, which may reflect the need of repeated migration by mothers on the one hand, and the gender beliefs that continue to regard migrant women as neglecting their families and deviating from feminine domesticity on the other.

“I Rarely Go Out on Work Days”: Space–Time Constraints and (Im)mobility Experiences Among Indonesian Female Domestic Workers in Hong Kong

Female domestic workers (FDWs) experience space–time constraints and mobility challenges corresponding to their demanding daily work responsibilities. Studies have shown that FDWs’ mobility and activities are primarily dictated by their employers through work tasks. It is unclear, though, how FDWs’ activity and mobility patterns outside their employers’ homes are shaped by individual and contextual factors, including government policies that mandate that FDWs be granted a rest day. Using an activity space approach combined with multilevel modeling, I evaluated mobility and activity patterns on work and rest days for a sample of Indonesian FDWs in Hong Kong. Data were collected using innovative online activity diaries and were triangulated with qualitative data from WhatsApp follow-up conversations. This research uncovers that FDWs’ activity patterns differ significantly between work and rest days. FDWs rarely go outside on workdays except to perform work-related tasks. On the rest day, FDWs’ activity spaces are much more expansive as they conduct social and personal activities that are essential for maintaining their well-being. By comparing work and rest days, this research deepens our understanding of geographical, social, and temporal aspects of FDWs’ space–time constraints and (im)mobility experiences that encompass and go beyond employer-assigned tasks. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate the benefits of rest day policies for enhancing the visibility of marginalized women in public spaces, particularly in the context of FDWs’ restrictive space–time constraints.

Exploring the Intersection of Legal Regulations and Feminization of Migration: A Focus on Migrant Women Working in Domestic Services in Türkiye

One of the trends that have come to the fore with globalization is the increased visibility of women in migration. As the rate of women’s participation in the labor force through paid work has increased, their mobility from rural to urban areas or from one part of the world to another has also increased. In this process, also known as the feminization of migration, women have become geographically more mobile than ever before in history. With this process, women started to migrate independently from their family members across national borders to work in a variety of jobs, particularly domestic work and sex work. The diversion of domestic work (caring for the sick, children and elderly, cleaning, etc.) to women in poorer countries through the global division of labor has played an important role in this change. This division of labor, which arises from the combination of the gendered character of domestic work and cheap female labor, has necessitated the geographical mobility of poorer women from all over the world. As a result, women have also begun to engage in geographical mobility on a global scale. In addition to these reasons that push women to migrate, developments in destination countries that create demand for migrant women’s labor are also important. Today, almost every part of the world has become a destination point for women migrating for domestic work. Especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Türkiye has also become one of these target countries. However, migrant women have faced various problems in Türkiye, both due to deficiencies in existing regulations and political attitudes towards migrants. These women, most of whom work as domestic workers, have been at the center of problems arising from both the migration system and the specific conditions of domestic work. In this study, the problems faced by female migrant domestic workers in Türkiye are discussed within the aforementioned framework. In particular, the main axis of the discussion is how domestic workers are affected by legal regulations in Türkiye. The study interrogates how women’s migration to Türkiye has developed within the existing migration system and examines the migration experience of migrant women working as domestic workers in Türkiye.

Employment conditions and mental health of overseas female migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong: a parallel mediation analysis

BackgroundFemale migrant domestic workers (MDW), approximately 8.5 million globally, often live in their employer’s home under vulnerable conditions. In Hong Kong, MDWs currently comprise 5% of the population. This study was conducted to assess the association between employment conditions and mental health, and the mediating roles stress and job satisfaction have, among female MDWs in Hong Kong.MethodsParticipants completed an online cross-sectional survey. A total of 1,965 survey were collected between August 2020 and August 2021. Questions in the survey were related to MDWs background information, employment conditions, stress, job satisfaction, and two mental health outcomes: anxiety and depression. An employment conditions score was created to assess the cumulative effect poor employment conditions had on mental health. A multicategorical parallel mediation analysis was used to assess the direct effect employment conditions have on mental health and the indirect effects through stress and job satisfaction.ResultsOverall, 17.7% of MDWs were reported to be suffering from anxiety and 30.8% from depression. An increase in poor employment conditions was statistically associated with an increase in both outcomes, while stress levels and job satisfaction mediated this association.ConclusionsThe findings call for increased scrutiny of employment conditions and mental well-being of MDWs.

A Study on Work-Life Quality of Female Domestic Workers

Abstract: Domestic workers are regarded as an important source of income for millions of women worldwide. This sector has existed for centuries, as evidenced by the histories of slavery, colonialism, and other forms of servitude. In today's society, the contribution of domestic work is vital for the economy. They have become increasingly in demand around the world in recent decades. Domestic workers are not normally considered workers, and their working conditions remain unregulated. Their employment situation is considered outside the general framework of existing employment laws. This is mainly because most of the work done is generally invisible. Women domestic workers account for a large part of India's unorganized labor force. Though men do this type of work, there is a trend toward the feminization of domestic work. People from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are primarily involved in this work. The increase in the number of domestic workers in India is attributed to an increase in affluent sections' per capita income, increased female labor participation, the disintegration of joint families, and an increase in life expectancy with an increase in ill health levels. Therefore, their daily struggle for survival has yet to capture the attention of the government. Thus, this study is entitled “A Study on Work-Life Quality of Female Domestic Workers.” This helps to understand the major factors responsible for the low economic status of women domestic workers. The study will also highlight the issues and problems of these women domestic workers and various measures that can be taken for the welfare of this sector. Key Words: Quality of Work Life, Women, and Domestic Workers.

WRITING AND INTERSECTIONALITY IN THE SHORT STORIES OLHOS D’ÁGUA AND KISS IN THE FACE OF CONCEIÇÃO EVARISTO

Data from the Brazilian Public Security Forum (FBSP), in the year 2022, indicate that on average 04 women are victims of femicide daily. Female domestic workers number a total of 5.2 million, 65% of whom are black. Considering these data, this work aims to analyze the alarming continuity of forms of oppression against these women, based on qualitative research, from the perspective of literature and the concepts of writing and intersectionality, in the short stories Olhos d'água and Beijo na face , by Conceição Evaristo, highlighting issues of race, gender and class. Theoretical discussions are supported by Angela Davis (2016), Conceição Evaristo (2016), Patricia Hill Collins and Sirma Bilge (2021). From the analysis of the stories, it is possible to affirm the existence of a perpetuation of class, gender and racial inequalities and violence, in an intersectional way, as well as realizing how much writing in literature has been a form of denunciation and resistance in women's daily lives. black.

Work-households and its relationship with female domestic worker in Kolkata

Work-households and its relationship with female domestic worker in Kolkata

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Financial Inclusion of Female Domestic Workers in Mumbai

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana, launched in 2014, is an initiative toward 'Universal Banking Access,' to ensure that every household in the country has access to basic banking services. The paper discusses the effect of the PMJDY on the 'financial inclusion' of female domestic workers in Mumbai, who remain on the periphery of regular banking services. The study considers financial literacy, access to financial services, and the ability to make good decisions as metrics of financial inclusion based on a cross-sectional survey conducted among the population. Though the majority of the respondents have opened bank accounts either under PMJDY or traditional banking systems, financial literacy remains a huge challenge to the effective utilization of those accounts. While there is an increase in savings and a shift towards more formal means of financial management, low confidence in managing financial matters and social barriers get in the way of the empowerment of such women. Special interventions in terms of targeted financial literacy programs and social interventions are needed to fill such gaps if economic stability and autonomy are to be enriched for urban female domestic workers, as seen in Mumbai.

Current Status Of Decent Work for female domestic workers in India

Current Status Of Decent Work for female domestic workers in India

Made for Maids

Abstract In this article, I am concerned with how female domestic workers use the mobile phone to expand employment opportunities in the shantytowns of urban Morocco. I examine how mobile telephony is a resource for human agency and action, not just a force for culture change. Second, I describe how mobile phone use has resulted in higher revenues by enlarging the circle of economic activity and by enabling supplementary informal income-generating possibilities. Third, I explore how the mobile phone has allowed them not only to generate more revenue but also to escape the stifling conditions of their workplace and renegotiate the gender politics of private-domestic space.

Kritik Stereotipe Perempuan Pekerja Domestik di Media Sosial

Domestic work is a household-related activity and is mostly done by women. There are many negative stereotypes about women as domestic workers. One of the young activists, Kalis Mardiasih is quite critical in responding to gender issues on his Instagram account. The study aims to analyze the discourse behind posts @kalis.mardiasih related to stereotypes of women as domestic workers. This study uses the critical discourse analysis method of Norman Fairclough. The result of this study show that Kalis Mardiasih means women are more often victims according to the passive stigma attached to him. From the mental side, the female consciousness of accepting the stereotypes makes women only classified as a second-class human being that can be objectified. In addition, Kalis also responded through posts on her Instagram account about the stereotypes of female domestic workers by putting pressure on the meaning of the images and symbols posted, such as the role of women in the household. In his post, Kalis Mardiasih gave an emphasis on pictures f women crying while hanging children accompanied by symbols holding household appliances. In addition, Kalis Mardiasih also made writing with a thick style so that the essence of gender equality can be accepted by citizens.

Psychological Issues of Domestic Workers: A Qualitative Investigation

The present study is a qualitative exploration of psychological problems faced by domestic workers in the Islamabad and Rawalpindi regions. The study was conducted with only female domestic workers, including both resident and non-resident workers with an age range from 18 years onwards and having work experience of more than one year. The study was carried out in two phases. In the first phase, six focus group discussions were carried out, while in the second phase, fifteen in-depth interviews were conducted to gain a deeper understanding of the psychological problems faced by domestic workers. The thematic analysis approach revealed ten themes, including depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, Stress, helplessness, anger, feelings of insecurity, guilt, feelings of inferiority, repressed and unfulfilled desires, and dissatisfaction with life circumstances. Resident domestic workers reported more psychological issues due to the nature of their workplace environment as compared to non-resident domestic workers. This further hurts their sense of self, physical and mental health, cognitions, relationship with others, and psychological well-being.