Domestic Help Workers- A Comparative Study of Punjab

According to International Labour Organization, ―Domestic help workers encompass a noteworthy part of the international workforce in informal employment and are among the most exploited groups of workers. The objective of the study is to do the comparative analysis of the position of domestic help workers in three different areas of Punjab that is Majha, Malwa and Doaba. Districts have been identified on the basis of convenience. Mansa, Ludhiana, Bathinda and Fatehgarh Sahib from Malwa region Amritsar and Gurdaspur cities are identified from Majha region and Jalandhar and Kapurthala from Doaba region. To meet the requirements of objectives, a sample of 600 domestic workers is considered (75 from each district). One way ANOVA is adopted to get statistical results. The study found that there are fair amount of men in the sector but domestic work industry is currently dominated throughout the Punjab region by women. Though the domestic work industry has provided ample opportunities to woman to become self- dependent, on the other hand it also leads towards exploitation, harassment and sexual embarrassment at the workplace. In sum, socio- economic condition of the domestic help workers is not good. They face problems both at home and work place. They have a very massive work load with less compensation. There is no homogeneity in their wage structure and their wages are very low. It is suggested that there is need for comprehensive legislation controlled both by centre and state governments.