Maid in India

The lady in this picture is Selvam.
Age : 55.
Occupation : Maid (domestic help).
Experience : 35 years.
Yearly Income : Rs. 18,000.
No. of hours she works in a day : 8 hours.
No. of jobs: 2

Every middle class household in India has a maid like Selvam. Some that have worked in the same house for decades and has seen generations grow up to produce another generation. This lady has seen 3 generations herself. Some affluent urban households or those where the wives/mothers work employ 2 or more maids. They do everything for a meagre Rs. 500 ($15) a month like cleaning utensils, brooming/sweeping, drying clothes, cleaning the toilets etc etc. Unlike the developed countries, it is interesting to note that most of the maids are women and according to the census of 1991, the number of women workers in India is 91 million out of a total workforce of about 315 million. Out of which about 60% belong to the unorganised workforce.

What provoked me to write this post was how unappreciative people in general are towards this workforce. My maid has been with me for over a year and half. She didn't come to work for the past 4 days and believe me, I was on the verge of tears managing Lil General and a 2000sq. ft and above property all by myself. In India, there's a lot of daily chore that needs to be done because our climactic condition doesn't suit houses to be carpeted and clothes still need to be sun-dried. And cooking 3 times a day is a daily activity and not a pleasure activity meant for weekends. I'm digressing. Anyways, when my maid Aparna who I fondly call "aunty" showed up this morning, I can't tell you how relieved I was. How sometimes we forget that they too have a family, they too can have problems..we are quick to complain all the time.

Most people take undue advantage of the fact that these women, generally from the lower strata of the society has no one to back them or any union to fight for their rights. They don't get increments year on year, no background check, there is no paid leave or a contract that binds them. It is all word-of-mouth way of hiring and firing. You tell the neighbour or your security that you need a maid and by that evening you will have at least 2 women knocking on your doors.

Maybe its time to be sensitive to their needs and show some appreciation. Sometimes talking nicely and treating them like humans and not trash bag does wonders. Having said that, a lot of these women take us for a ride too. Stealing, lying, job half done and no gratitude for how much ever you do, is all too common. But it doesn't hurt to be good. Good begets good.