In 2015, the International Labour Organization estimated that 67.1 million people worked as domestic workers globally, yet experts warn the true number could reach 100 million because this labor is often hidden and unregistered. These individuals perform the essential tasks that keep households running, from cleaning and cooking to caring for children and the elderly, yet they remain largely invisible to the public eye. The work is predominantly done by women, who make up 83 percent of the global domestic workforce, and many are migrants seeking better economic opportunities for themselves and their families. Despite the critical nature of their labor, domestic workers often face severe legal and social vulnerabilities, with many countries failing to enforce basic labor protections. In nations like Guatemala, domestic work is legally exempt from standard working hour limits, leaving workers with little recourse when employers demand 18-hour days or deny them basic civil liberties. The isolation of working within a private home means that abuse, including sexual harassment and physical violence, often goes unreported and unpunished, creating a system where the worker's rights are easily trampled by those who hold power over their daily lives.
A History of Inequality
The history of domestic service is deeply intertwined with the history of slavery and racial segregation, particularly in the United States where the legacy of the Civil War shaped the profession for decades. Following the legal end of slavery in 1865, the Freedmen's Bureau informed former slaves that they could sign labor contracts with white planters or be evicted from the land they had lived on, forcing the majority of women into domestic service as their only available occupation. These African American women migrated to the North for better wages but faced systemic racism and were denied other jobs purely based on the color of their skin. They were frequently underpaid and relied on a practice known as pan toting, where they took food scraps and discarded clothing from their employers to supplement their meager wages. This system was used by white employers to justify lower wages and reinforce racist stereotypes of black inferiority, while the workers used it to survive and counter their employers' dishonesty. During the Great Depression, domestic workers were explicitly excluded from Social Security and the Fair Labor Standards Act, a decision made by politicians to avoid losing support from Southern Democrats who backed segregation. It was not until 1950 that household employees were added to Social Security coverage, and even then, the protections were limited and often ignored in practice.The Global Migrant Crisis