On becoming a domestic worker the case of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Abstract

In modern societies, domestic workers play a pivotal role in supporting the labor market and the economy of a country at large through relieving working families of household chores. Given this background Lutz (2007) argues that domestic work is a crucial tool for sustainability and functioning of the economy. Statistics have it that an estimated one third of the world's households rely on domestic workers (Albin, 2011). International Labour Organisation (2010) also echoes the same sentiment noting that, although statistics about domestic workers is scarce, the number of domestic workers worldwide is estimated at over 100 million and is on the rise everywhere. Given the fact that the sector is female dominated, it becomes the main source of employment for women especially in South Africa (ILO, 2010). This is testimony enough to show the significance of domestic workers in many countries. Developed countries have a higher percentage of domestic workers than developing countries (Steedman, 2009). This is mainly due to the labour market structure which absorbs many people regardless of their gender unlike in developing countries where the employment of women was very low until recently when gender equality was advocated. In the wake of the world economic recession, Lutz (2007) suggests that domestic work is an effective alternative employment opportunity for the unskilled labour which cannot be absorbed in other occupations. Despite the importance of domestic work to the modern society, its regulation is still a challenge (International Labor Organization: ILO, 2012). More significantly, the close intimacy between employee and the employer makes the former appear as a family member than a worker. This reduces their value and the measurement of their economic status. Additionally, the fact that domestic work is invisible as it is performed behind closed doors, makes it difficult to regulate (Anderson, 2007). According to Steedman (2009)the fact of legislation vulnerability of domestic workers is historically entrenched, especially in the United Kingdom. In the UK, domestic workers were not included in the legislation for a long time. This was due to the proximity and intimacy to their employers among other reasons. Albin (2011) reports that, in recent years several changes have occurred regarding the legislation in the UK. However, he contends that within these changes there are still many pitfalls which expose domestic workers to economic vulnerability. For instance, they are still omitted from working time regulation in the Regulation 19 of the working time regulation Act. They can also be paid less than the minimum wage when their employer provides them with accommodation. Similarly, Zungu (2009) claims that in Asia, the contribution of domestic workers to the economy is never factored in the Gross National Product. This illustrates that domestic workers are undermined and less valued. This is exacerbated by the fact that they do not have specific working hours or rest periods, receive poor wages and poor standards of work termination among other challenges (Zungu, 2011). These challenges are an evidence of how the legislation irregularities position domestic workers at a disadvantage hence exposing them to economic mistreatment.However, the aforementioned omission does not apply in other countries. For instance in India, the National policy for domestic workers provides domestic workers the right to minimum wage laws, establishment of the number of working hours and rest period as well as social protection and security benefits (Ministry of Labor, 2011). The case of India shows that some countries are taking the plight of domestic workers seriously and are taking necessary steps to protect them from social and economic exploitation.The demand for domestic workers has been on the increase in the past two decades (Gobind, Plessis and Ukpere, 2012). This increase has occurred even in the developing countries where there is a major incorporation of women into the sector (ILO, 2010). …