Housing In-kind Is Not Enough

This article draws on findings from a project at the Centre for Women’s Development Studies (an ICSSR institute) conducted between July 2019 and February 2020 titled “Women Negotiating for Family Housing and Work: A Study on Quasi-Live-in Domestic Workers.” The author gratefully acknowledges valuable comments from the reviewer which helped in refining the article. In addition, Neetha N, Mary E John and Indrani M are thankfully acknowledged for suggestions that fine-tuned the larger study. Thanks are also due to the domestic workers who willingly gave time and Neha for facilitating the fieldwork. Dimple Tresa Abraham (dimpletresa@gmail.com) is at the Centre for Women’s Development Studies (an ICSSR institute), New Delhi.

The duality of payment of wages continues to exist in the rural, more in wages paid to agricultural workers. In-kind payments may also be prevalent in the urban such as barter of work for family housing. In such cases, the question of cash wages remains peripheral as low-income households, in search of decent housing in the urban, exchange work, more commonly women’s “paid domestic work” to gain access to servant quarters in colonies with such housing facilities.