“Even if I die I won’t get a holiday”: Daily indignities and vulnerabilities of women domestic workers in Pune, India

Abstract

ABSTRACT In the absence of proper legislative regulation, women domestic workers in India are vulnerable not just to low wages but are subject to a host of unfair social practices and disrespectful behavior. This is because domestic work is part of deeper and ingrained casteist and patriarchal mores and practices. As such, these workers have to deal with many indignities as part of their employment. This paper attempts to highlight the daily humiliation and physical and mental costs experienced by women domestic workers. By documenting their lived realities at work and their oral narratives, we examine everyday tales of mistreatment, humiliation, mounting social anxiety, and escalating health issues.