Social Rights, Challenges & Exclusion of Domestic Workers: A Sociological Study
Ruma Parvin[1]
Abstract
The demand of domestic work has increased significantly worldwide. An estimated 70.1 million people worldwide now work in this field (UNICEF 2020). Despite the fact mostly domestic workers are women. The study found that the economic and social contributions of domestic workers to society are significant. Nonetheless, because domestic work is viewed as a low status occupation, they face unpredictable working conditions and little to no social protection. The study with the application of qualitative incorporating the participant observation and in-depth interview where checklist has been used to find out the objectives. The data were collected by using an in-depth interview method of 20 domestic workers living in Dhaka city where purposive method was used as a sampling technique to select the area and respondents. The study found that working arrangements for domestic workers typically do not include employment benefits like social pensions, health insurance, or maternity benefits. In addition to receiving little to no compensation, domestic workers, particularly lives in dhaka city also face difficulties or challenges separating their personal and professional lives due to their lengthy workdays, little opportunity for downtime, and restricted rest periods. The study showed that women workers also endure excessive workloads, inadequate housing, and food, job insecurity, and exposure to abuse and violence in the workplace. It concludes that ensuring social rights and law for domestic workers are indeed an important tool for promoting gender equality within a broader approach to addressing informality and worker’s empowerment.
Keywords: Domestic Workers, Challenges, Social Rights, Gender Equality, Empowerment
[1] Lecturer, Department of Sociology, East West University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Email: ruma.parvin@ewubd.edu