In many parts of India, including urban and township areas, the issue of domestic help has become a significant concern. Domestic work, largely an unorganised sector, faces issues related to inadequate pay, lack of legal protection, and an imbalance of power between employers and workers. The complexity of these relationships, often exacerbated by ignorance about workers' rights and entitlements, makes it difficult to navigate the relationship between employers and domestic workers. For too long, domestic help in India has been viewed through a feudal lens, and this dynamic continues to affect millions of people today.
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At one point, the supply of domestic workers was abundant. In fact, the domestic worker population in India is estimated to be close to five million approx. These workers are employed to do care work in households, often becoming part of the most intimate spaces of a home. Unfortunately, while the workers play a crucial role in maintaining the household and enabling the professional lives of the employers, their rights, dignity, and working conditions remain largely unaddressed.
One of the key challenges faced by both employers and workers is a lack of clarity on issues such as pay rates, leave policies, and the overall working conditions. Domestic workers often do not have formal contracts, making it easy for employers to exploit them. Furthermore, workers do not have access to basic entitlements like pension schemes, paid leave, or even healthcare benefits. This lack of structure makes it difficult for workers to negotiate fair wages and working conditions.
On the other hand, employers often find themselves in a dilemma: How much should they pay for various services? Is there room for flexibility in the arrangement? What level of leave or time off is fair? If they don’t come to work can we find an alternative worker immediately? Some domestic workers seek advance wages from their employers, but if they are absent or fail to fulfill their duties, what can be done to address this issue? Can legal action be taken, and whom should employers seek help from if a domestic worker defrauds them? This issue is quite common in India.
The lack of clear guidelines makes it difficult to ensure fairness on both sides. In addition to these logistical concerns, the softer aspects of the relationship—such as how domestic workers should be treated, whether they should share the same meals as their employers, or use the same bathrooms—remain fraught with tension and uncertainty. Some domestic workers are found sleeping in the kitchen or beneath the dining table, as they are not provided with adequate accommodation.
This issue is particularly pronounced among the middle class, who rely heavily on domestic workers for childcare and elder care. With the increasing financial pressures on families, it has become almost impossible for both partners to stay home to take care of children or elderly relatives. However, due to the growing scarcity of domestic help, many families are left without assistance, which hampers their ability to work and earn a living.
Furthermore, the increasing reliance on NGOs and agencies that provide domestic help services has led to higher costs. These agencies charge exorbitant amounts, making them unaffordable for most middle-class families. In many cases, these workers are irregular, showing up only sporadically, sometimes for weeks at a time, making it difficult for families to manage their household tasks.
The problem has also extended to child labor. Children, often teenagers, are being used as cheap domestic labor under the pretext of providing a good life, food, shelter, and education. While many of these children are enrolled in government schools, their attendance remains low, and they are only allowed to appear for exams. This exploitation, though indirect, is still a form of modern-day slavery that needs to be addressed urgently.
The need for proper and fair domestic labor services has never been more apparent. The middle class, particularly, is finding it increasingly difficult to meet its needs without the help of domestic workers.
Government welfare schemes for underprivileged laborers are often insufficient to meet their family's needs, so they are forced to seek work to provide for their families. The demands of the average household make it even more challenging, as they require additional help. The lack of access to reliable domestic workers has left families struggling to balance work, childcare, and eldercare responsibilities.
To resolve this crisis, it is essential to create a system that provides both workers and employers with a reliable platform to connect. One possible solution is for the government to step in and utilise existing systems, such as the Employment Exchange and Gaon Panchayat offices, to help register unskilled and skilled laborers. These workers could list the wages they are willing to accept and the services they are available to provide. Employers could then use this platform to find the right workers for their needs.
Moreover, the government could facilitate the creation of contracts, with a minimum duration of 11 months, to ensure stability and clarity. These contracts should be filed at the local District Labor Department, which would then be responsible for monitoring the adherence to these contracts. Additionally, the department could conduct police verifications of the workers to ensure that they do not have any criminal background or history of exploitation. This system would help reduce the chances of employers hiring strangers out of desperation, which often leads to exploitation and crime.
Such a system would also address the problem of child labor, ensuring that no underage workers are employed in domestic work. It could also break the nexus between traffickers and brokers who exploit vulnerable individuals and transport them to distant cities for work under abusive conditions. A record of all domestic workers in a particular locality would allow authorities to monitor the situation more effectively and help combat any form of exploitation or trafficking.
Furthermore, NGOs and agencies that provide domestic help to victims of violence could be better regulated. Although these organisations often offer valuable support to women escaping domestic violence, their charges are often beyond the reach of middle-class families. By making domestic help more accessible and affordable, the government could also create opportunities for these women to earn a decent wage without being exploited by high-cost agencies.
Another important aspect that needs attention is the treatment of domestic workers. Domestic work is often undervalued and associated with low social status. To change this perception, it is essential to raise the value of domestic work by ensuring that workers are paid fairly and treated with respect. When people are paid well and treated with dignity, they are more likely to take pride in their work and perform it to the best of their abilities.
If domestic work were recognised as a legitimate and valuable profession, it could become a source of pride for workers and employers alike. Respect and fair compensation would go a long way in improving the overall work environment and ensuring that workers feel valued. The idea that "we need to treat domestic workers with dignity" should not be just a catchphrase, but a guiding principle that can help shape our approach to labor in the household.
Employers, too, need to be more mindful of how they treat their domestic help. The way we treat our employees in our homes is a reflection of our values as a society. If we demand respect and fair treatment in our professional workplaces, then we should extend the same expectations to those who work for us in our homes. By creating a culture of mutual respect, we can transform the domestic labor sector and make it a source of dignity for all involved.
In conclusion, the issue of domestic labor in India is one that needs urgent attention. The current system is exploitative and inequitable, leaving both employers and workers in precarious positions. By creating a formal structure for domestic work, setting fair wages, and treating workers with dignity and respect, we can begin to address these issues. It is time to move away from the feudal mentality that has long characterised domestic work and toward a system that values labor and ensures fairness for all parties involved.
This can only happen when we view domestic work as a legitimate and respected profession, deserving of fair pay, dignity, and legal protection. Only then will the millions of domestic workers in India be able to secure their rights and live lives of dignity and respect. This would also help solve the crisis of domestic help in middle-class society.
(The author is a social worker and child rights activist. All views and opinions expressed are author’s own)
