ISSUES FACED BY FEMALE MIGRANT DOMESTIC WORKERS IN TWIN CITIES

Abstract

The topic of the given research is “Issues Faced by Female Migrant Domestic Workers”. Domestic workers are hired to work in private households. Majority of the domestic workers in Pakistan are migrant women from economically backward areas. These workers are unrecognized and working in an informal and invisible sector of employment. Most of the domestic workers have low status and lack of technical skills. They are illiterate and ethnically marginalized women. The given studyhas tried to find out the reasons of their migration for wage labor, .Furthermore to explore the issues they are facing by working as a domestic worker in the urban areas of Rawalpindi/Islamabad. The study presented that the conditions of live-in domestic workers and live-out domestic workers are different. The sample size chosen for research was 8live-in and 8 live-out migrant domestic workers by using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. Field data were collected by in-depth interviews and case studies. The reasons of their migration included some push factors like poverty, unemployment and attaining better future for their children/families. Pull factors included economic factors, availability of wage labor in the twin cities and increasing demand of domestic workers. The study also mentioned some gender specific social factors i.e., unwanted family relationships/unhappy marriage life and restricted female mobility which drives rural women to cities. After joining job as a domestic worker both live-in and live-out face issues of poor living conditions, low wages, burden of work, working hours, effect of working hours on children and family ,health issues and verbal, physical and sexual abuses.