Domestic Workers' Struggles in India’s Care Economy: The Case of Migrant Women in Gurugram

The domestic workers’ movement in India has been mobilizing for rights since the 1980s. The adoption of the ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers energized these efforts, encouraging greater coordination among groups and unions. However, despite the growing policy focus on the care economy through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the movement continues to struggle for basic rights. Domestic work in India is largely performed by women from marginalized castes, with limited education or formal skills, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation.

Our research, under the project "Sustaining Power: Women’s Struggles against Contemporary Backlash in South Asia" (SuPWR), explores these struggles in collaboration with the Center for Social Change and Development (CSCD) in Gurugram, Haryana. In this urban center, informal migrant women domestic workers coexist alongside a wealthy, international community, highlighting stark inequalities.

The study places domestic worker leaders at the center of inquiry to understand their daily vulnerabilities as migrants, including limited worker rights and barriers to social security. Access to safe and affordable rented housing emerged as a critical need, directly affecting their ability to work and participate in the movement. Their migrant status further exacerbates these challenges, complicating efforts to secure decent work and social protections.

This paper analyzes how the intersectional identity of migrant women domestic workers places them at the margins of the ongoing care economy dialogue in India, which focuses heavily on early childcare. Despite its importance, this focus has failed to improve conditions for domestic workers—the largest cadre of care providers. We argue that the workers' migrant status amplifies the difficulties in organizing for decent work, underscoring the need for inclusive policy frameworks that address both care and labor rights for all.