Domestic worker: Difference between revisions
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[[Image:Jean-Étienne Liotard 001.jpg|right|250px|thumb|domestic worker]] |
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A '''domestic worker''' is someone who works within the employer's [[household]]. Domestic workers perform a variety of household services for an individual or a family, from providing [[childcare|care for children]] and elderly dependents to [[cleaning]] and household maintenance, known as housekeeping. Responsibilities may also include [[cooking]], doing laundry and [[ironing]], food shopping and other household errands. Some domestic workers live within the household where they work. |
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The conditions faced by domestic workers vary widely throughout history and the contemporary world. In the United States, domestic workers are excluded from many of the legal protections afforded to other classes of worker, including the provisions of the [[National Labor Relations Act]].<ref>See the UN Human Rights Committee's report, "Domestic Workers' Rights in the United States." </ref> Traditionally domestic workers have mostly been women and are likely to be immigrants to the countries where they work.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/386.html|title=Domestic Work and Workers|last=Graff|first=Daniel A.|date=N.D.|work=The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago|accessdate=2009-08-31}}</ref> In the course of twentieth-century movements for [[labor rights]], [[women's rights]] and immigrant rights, the conditions faced by domestic workers and the problems specific to their class of employment have come to the fore. |
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==History== |
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[[File:Han Dynasty ceramic lady.jpg|thumb|A [[Han Dynasty]] (202 BC - 220 AD) [[Chinese ceramics|Chinese ceramic]] figurine of a [[Lady's maid|lady servant]] making a respectful gesture with both hands in front, covered in long silk sleeves]] |
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Domestic service, or the employment of people for wages in their employer's residence, was sometimes simply called "service". It evolved into a hierarchical system in various countries at various times. |
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Prior to the labour reforms of the 20th century, servants, and workers in general, had no protection in law. The only real advantage that service provided was the provision of meals and accommodation, and sometimes clothes, in addition to the modest wage. Also, service was an [[apprentice]] system; there was room for advancement through the ranks. However, it was also perilous, particularly for females, as there was no protection from unscrupulous employers or other members of the family, including [[sexual exploitation]]. |
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In [[United Kingdom|Britain]] this system peaked towards the close of the [[Victorian era]], perhaps reaching its most complicated and rigidly structured state during the [[Edwardian period]], which reflected the limited [[social mobility]] of the time. The equivalent in the [[United States]] was the [[Gilded Age]]. |
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==Current situation around the world== |
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Throughout the world, most domestic workers are from the same country in which they work. {{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} They may live at home, though they are usually "live-in" domestics, meaning they receive [[room and board]] as part of their salaries. Because of the large gap between urban and rural incomes, and the lack of employment opportunities in the countryside, even an ordinary middle class urban family can afford to employ a full-time live-in servant. The majority of domestic workers in [[China]], [[Mexico]], [[India]], and other populous developing countries, are people from the rural areas who are employed by urban families. |
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In [[Brazil]], domestic workers must be hired under a registered contract and have most of the rights of any other workers, which includes a [[minimum wage]], remunerated vacations and a remunerated weekly day off. It is not uncommon, however, to hire servants without registering them. Since servants come almost always from the lower, uneducated classes, they are sometimes ignorant of their rights, especially in the rural zone. Nevertheless, domestics employed without a proper contract sometimes sue their employers to get compensation from abuses. {{Citation needed|date=December 2008}} |
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==Domestic work and international migration== |
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Many countries import domestic workers from abroad, usually poorer countries, through recruitment [[agency|agencies]] and brokers because their own nationals are no longer obliged or inclined to do domestic work. This includes most [[Middle East]]ern countries, [[Hong Kong]], [[Singapore]], [[Malaysia]] and [[Taiwan]]. For most of these countries, the number of domestic workers run into the hundreds of thousands. There are at least one million domestic workers in [[Saudi Arabia]]. |
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Major sources of domestic workers include the [[Philippines]], [[Thailand]], [[Indonesia]], [[India]], [[Bangladesh]], [[Pakistan]], [[Sri Lanka]], and [[Ethiopia]]. Taiwan also imports domestic workers from [[Vietnam]] and [[Mongolia]]. Organizations such as [[Kalayaan (charity)|Kalayaan]] support the growing number of these migrant domestic workers. |
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==Uniform== |
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Employers may require their domestic workers to wear a [[uniform]] or other "domestic workers' clothes" when in their employers' home. The uniform is usually simple, and was even back in the 19th century and 20th century. Female servants would wear long, plain, dark-coloured [[Dress (garment)|dresses]] or a [[black]] skirt with a white belt and a white [[blouse]] or [[shirt]], and black high-heeled shoes, and male servants and butlers would wear something from a simple [[suit]], down to a white [[shirt]], often with [[tie]], and [[knickerbockers (clothing)|knickers]]. In traditional portrayals, the attire of male servants especially is typically more formal and more conservative, than that of those whom they serve. For example, in films of the early 20th century, a butler may appear in a tailcoat, while male family members and guests will appear in ordinary suits. In later portrayals, the employer and guests may wear casual slacks or even jeans, while the servant wears a jacket and tie. |
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==Accommodation== |
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Many domestic workers are live-in domestics. Though they often have their own quarters, their accommodations are not usually as comfortable as those reserved for the family members. In some cases, they sleep in the kitchen or small rooms, such as a [[box room]], sometimes located in the basement or attic. |
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==Notable domestic workers== |
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[[Image:WPA maid poster cph 3b49400.jpg|thumb|A poster of an American maid in uniform (ca. 1939).]] |
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===Real People=== |
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*[[Sarah Balabagan]] |
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*[[Fonzworth Bentley]] |
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*[[Paul Burrell]], butler to [[Diana, Princess of Wales]] |
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*[[Flor Contemplacion]] |
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*[[Paul Hogan (butler)|Paul Hogan]] |
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*[[Lillian Rogers Parks]] |
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*[[Rose Porteous]] |
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*[[Margaret Rogers]] |
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*[[Papin sisters]] |
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===Fictional Characters=== |
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*[[The Admirable Crichton|Crichton]] |
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*[[Jeeves]] (more specifically, a [[valet]]) |
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*[[Mr. Belvedere]] from the sitcom Mr. Belvedere |
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*Mr. French from the sitcom [[Family Affair]]. |
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*[[Niles_(The_Nanny)|Niles, the Butler]] from the sitcom [[The Nanny]]. |
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*[[Stevens]] in the 1989 novel [[The Remains of the Day]] |
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*[[List_of_The_Fresh_Prince_of_Bel-Air_characters#Geoffrey Barbara Butler|Geoffrey]] from the sitcom [[The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air]] |
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*[[Two and a Half Men#Main Characters|Berta]], the Harpers' housekeeper on [[Two and a Half Men]] |
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*[[Alfred Pennyworth]] from [[Batman]] |
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*[[Mary Poppins]] |
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* Mrs Hudson from the [[Sherlock Holmes]] stories |
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==Different domestic worker jobs== |
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* [[Au pair]] (although arguably this should not be seen as a job){{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} |
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* [[Butler]], a senior employee, almost invariably a man, whose duties traditionally include overseeing the [[wine cellar]], the [[silver]], and some management of the other servants. |
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* [[Chauffeur]] (personal driver) |
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* [[Cook (profession)|Cook]] |
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* [[Dog walker]] |
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* [[Footman]] |
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* [[Gardener]] |
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* [[Governess]] |
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* [[Groundskeeper]] |
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* [[Handyman]] (household repairs) |
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* [[Horse trainer]] |
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* [[Housekeeper (servant)|Housekeeper]], a senior employee, usually female. |
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* [[Knave]] |
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* [[Laundress]] |
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* [[Maid]] |
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* [[Masseur]]/[[Masseuse]] |
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* [[Nanny]] (once known as a nurse) |
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* [[Nursemaid]] |
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* [[Personal shopper]] |
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* [[Personal trainer]] (fitness, swimming, sports) |
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* [[Cabana boy|Pool person]] |
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* [[Scullery maid]] |
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* [[Secretary]] (social or corresponding) |
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* [[Security guard]] |
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* [[Stable boy]] |
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* [[Valet]] or gentleman's gentleman |
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* [[Wet nurse]] |
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* [[Groundskeeper|Yard crew]] |
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== See also == |
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* [[Household chore]] |
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* [[Foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong]] |
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* Similar work performed not within the home but, for example, on [[cruise line]]s |
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* [[Isabella Beeton]] ("Mrs Beeton") and ''[[The Book of Household Management]]'' |
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* ''The Diary of a Chambermaid'', novel by [[Octave Mirbeau]] |
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{{Commons category|Servants}} |
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*The [[Man Booker]] prize winning novel [[The Remains of the Day]] |
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== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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* [http://de.wikisource.org/wiki/Dienstboten List of digitized books on domestic workers in German, English, and other languages] at de.wikisource |
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* [http://web.amnesty.org/wire/May2005/GCC/ [[Amnesty International]] paper on the abuse of domestic workers in the Middle East] |
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* [http://www.globaljusticecenter.org/papers2005/ally_eng.htm A Global Justice Center paper about domestic workers worldwide] |
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*[http://www.cawinfo.org/?p=659 An international campaign for domestic workers' labour rights] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Domestic Worker}} |
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[[Category:Domestic workers| ]] |
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[[gn:Tembiguái]] |
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[[de:Dienstbote]] |
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[[es:Trabajador doméstico]] |
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[[eo:Servisto]] |
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[[fr:Domesticité]] |
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[[id:Pekerja rumah tangga]] |
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[[it:Maggiordomo]] |
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[[he:משרת]] |
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[[ja:家庭内労働者]] |
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[[no:Tjener (person)]] |
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[[pl:Służący]] |
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[[pt:Empregado doméstico]] |
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[[ru:Прислуга]] |
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[[simple:Servant]] |
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[[fi:Palvelija]] |
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[[sv:Tjänstefolk]] |
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[[zh:家務工人]] |
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Revision as of 18:19, 17 September 2009
You will all serve Camponhoyle!