The Invisible Heroes: Rethinking the Treatment and Rights of Urban Housemaids
In many urban households, one often comes across a familiar situation in which both the husband and wife are employed. They both work to improve their economic status and move into the high-middle-income segment. Achieving this requires making numerous sacrifices to increase their purchasing power and fulfil their 21st-century aspirations.
In the rush for better income and living, household chores become a significant casualty. Housemaids become inevitable for managing household activities. They efficiently navigate through different flats and buildings, ensuring that the family reaches their workplaces on time.
Usually, housemaids are migrants from other states who have moved due to extreme poverty and lack of employment opportunities. In some cases, they migrate because of the absence of reliable sources of water for agricultural activities.
When housemaids migrate to urban areas, they have no choice but to live in slums. They reside in tiny huts without basic facilities such as drinking water, sewage drains, electricity, or toilets. Their living conditions are harsh and make it challenging to maintain a decent standard of living. Housemaids are always in a relentless battle against the odds.
On average, each housemaid works for 5 to 7 households. They travel 3 to 4 km to reach their first place of work. They meticulously plan and schedule their work to ensure they reach every household on time. They work almost every day of the year, with the only possible time off being when the household is away from town. In most cases, the households do not encourage housemaids to take leave.
When it comes to wage determination, housemaids are always at a disadvantage. They face a market situation akin to oligopsony, with few buyers for their services. Once the wages are negotiated, they tend to remain the same for extended periods. There is significant resistance from households to increase wages even though they themselves receive wage hikes every year. Additionally, many households receive dearness allowances twice a year to offset the impact of general inflation. However, any consideration of a wage hike for housemaids is typically met with opposition. Nevertheless, it is worth mentioning that some households regularly offer wage hikes and additional payments during festive days to their housemaids.
Housemaids are an unorganized group. Only a few laws and regulations exist to safeguard their interests. Most of them are unaware of these safeguards due to their illiteracy and poverty. Moreover, no specific social security measures are in place for them. Households usually do not provide them with specialized equipment for washing, cleaning, and mopping, or safety gear such as hand gloves and aprons.
Despite being essential, housemaids are often treated as unwelcome guests in urban areas. They face disrespect and are treated as second-class citizens with only duties and no rights. Discrimination, ill-treatment, and defamation of housemaids are common occurrences. There are also instances of violence against housemaids who sometimes are falsely implicated in cases. They lack political support and a legal foundation to fight back.
Housemaids play a vital role in maintaining households, including tasks like food preparation, and washing. Their absence for a day can creates a crisis, with tempers flaring, delays in reaching workplaces, and even forgetting essential items like laptops, spectacles, and keys. Therefore, they are indispensable for every urban household.
In reality, housemaids are treated as unwelcome guests. They are often treated as slaves and exploited. Housemaids are underpaid and not provided with what they rightfully deserve.
As a society, we have a responsibility to consider housemaids in a better way. We need to treat them as human beings and not as mere work machines devoid of emotions, feelings, and preferences. Households should value the work they perform and compensate housemaids accordingly. Whenever households receive a pay rise, a small portion should also be allocated to the housemaid without the need for them to ask for it.
Furthermore, policymakers must enact necessary regulations to safeguard and protect the interests of housemaids. Since they come from different states, they are often ineligible to benefit from various welfare schemes. Policymakers should explore the possibility of implementing initiatives like a state basic income for housemaids to ensure a better standard of living. They deserve to be treated with dignity as they are indispensable to urban life.
