Women workers in the informal economy consist of the most vulnerable working segments in society. They came from a marginalized population whose legal, economic and political status limit their ability to demand their rights. These women include domestic workers whose social and economic contributions to society are invisible to the public, the law and policies of the country. They face challenges because their work is not considered rural work so that their rights to minimum standards of decent work are continually violated. The unique feature of their work place, which is the home of their employer, makes them vulnerable to abuses and exploitation. This is because the state would always be reluctant to consider a home a workplace that they can regulate. The lack of capacity, support and unity as that in organized sector make the challenges they face doubly difficult. As a result, this paper attempts to look at these challenges through studies into the profile of domestic workers, their burdens and vulnerabilities in work, existing labour and other legislations that are applicable to them, efforts of the government to address the issues and efforts of domestic workers and partner organizations to organize them. This paper also covers issues related to minimum standards of decent work, including definitions, terms and conditions of domestic work, live in and live out arrangements, wages, leaves and social security.
URL : http://www.abhinavjournal.com/images/Arts_&_Education/Feb13/1.pdf