A+| A| A-
Regulating Domestic Work
Domestic work is next only to education in its share of total female employment in the service sector. Except for piecemeal measures in a few states, there is no legislation to protect this vulnerable workforce or monitor the increasing number of agencies supplying domestic workers who are mostly recruited from the tribal pockets of underdeveloped states.
The number of female domestic workers in cities across India has been increasing rapidly since 1999. Yet, domestic workers occupy little or no place in most of the contemporary discourse on economic development. Domestic workers do not have the required collectivities or associations or popular spokespersons to voice their concerns. This is not to claim that domestic workers as a category is completely ignored in public discourse. It does figure in academic circles sporadically as a growing category of female employment, and their reference in intervention programmes is largely limited to their status as migrant workers.1 However, they are largely absent from state policy – be it labour laws or social policy. Thanks to collective struggles, some interventions have come through in a few states. In Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan domestic work is now included under the minimum wages notification.
Dear Reader,
