Domestic Work in Vidarbha: Economic Necessity or Social Exploitation

thenewsdirt
Sep 18
6 min read

The narrow lanes of Nagpur's bustling residential colonies witness a daily exodus every morning as hundreds of women carry small bags and bicycles, heading to their multiple workplaces.

These are the domestic workers of Vidarbha, a workforce that forms the backbone of urban household management while remaining largely invisible in policy discussions. Their presence in middle-class homes across Nagpur, Amravati, Akola, and other cities raises fundamental questions about the nature of their work and its place in society.

Recent government data reveals that Maharashtra houses approximately 1.5 million domestic workers serving around 4 to 5 million employers, particularly concentrated in urban areas. Yet only 15,000 workers remain registered with the state's welfare board, highlighting the vast informal nature of this employment sector.

Economic Foundation Rather Than Social Stigma

Contrary to historical perceptions that branded domestic work as inherently exploitative, contemporary research from Vidarbha reveals a more complex reality where household labour serves as a crucial economic lifeline for thousands of families.

The Maharashtra Domestic Workers Welfare Board Act of 2008 recognised this shift by establishing formal frameworks for worker protection, though implementation remains inadequate.

The Vidarbha Molkarin Sanghatana, founded four decades ago, represents over 10,000 domestic workers across the region. According to Rupa Kulkarni, president of this organisation and member of the state welfare board, domestic work provides essential income for families where agricultural employment has become unreliable. The organisation's activism led to the drafting of comprehensive legislation as early as 2002, though enforcement challenges persist.

Economic surveys indicate that domestic workers in cities like Nagpur earn between 6,500 to 15,000 rupees monthly, depending on working hours and skill levels.

While these wages often fall below minimum wage standards, they provide consistent income in regions where agricultural employment offers only seasonal opportunities.

Research from Dongargaon village in western Vidarbha shows that primary agricultural labourers work merely 111 days annually, making domestic work an attractive alternative for rural women seeking regular employment.

The financial necessity becomes more apparent when examining family structures. Studies of suicide-affected farmers' families in Vidarbha reveal that 58.33 percent depend on combined agricultural and labour income for survival.

Many widows and female family members transition to domestic work as their primary income source after losing male breadwinners to the agrarian crisis.

Persistent Challenges and Structural Issues

Despite its economic importance, domestic work in Vidarbha continues facing significant structural problems that prevent it from achieving a dignified employment status. Caste-based discrimination remains prevalent, with approximately 92 percent of workers belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, and Other Backwards Classes.

This demographic concentration reflects historical occupational segregation rather than natural employment distribution.

Working conditions often mirror pre-modern labour arrangements, with unclear employment terms, irregular payments, and the absence of formal contracts.

Workers typically serve 4 to 5 households daily, spending 1 to 1.5 hours in each home without standardised wage structures or defined responsibilities. The personalised nature of employer-worker relationships frequently leads to exploitation, as workers lack bargaining power or formal recourse mechanisms.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed these vulnerabilities starkly. Housing societies across Nagpur and Amravati barred domestic workers' entry, leading to immediate income loss without compensation.

Middle-class families increasingly purchased dishwashers and other appliances rather than supporting their domestic staff during lockdowns, revealing the expendable nature of these employment relationships.

Physical and emotional abuse cases continue to emerge from urban areas. Recent incidents in neighbouring regions highlight how domestic workers, particularly those from marginalised communities, face violence with limited legal protection.

The isolation of working in private homes, combined with weak enforcement of existing labour laws, perpetuates these conditions.

Regulatory Framework and Implementation Gaps

Maharashtra's legislative approach towards domestic workers shows progressive intent but lacks effective implementation.

The Maharashtra Domestic Workers Welfare Board Act of 2008 established district-level boards with tripartite representation from employers, employees, and government officials.

These boards provide social security benefits, including maternity assistance, education support, and medical expense reimbursement for registered workers.

However, implementation remains severely constrained. While the law was enacted in 2008, rules were framed only in 2010, and meaningful implementation began even later.

The welfare board provides benefits such as 10,000 rupees for workers who are 55 years of age, maternity benefits, and funeral assistance, yet awareness about these schemes remains minimal among the intended beneficiaries.

Recent government initiatives aim to address these gaps. The state labour department has proposed extending minimum wage provisions to approximately 1.4 million domestic workers, setting wages between 9,172 to 15,348 rupees monthly for eight-hour workdays based on geographic zones.

This proposal faces implementation challenges due to informal employment arrangements and resistance from middle-class employers concerned about increased household expenses.

The e-Shram portal, launched in 2021, registered 28.9 million domestic workers nationally, with 95.8 percent being women. However, access challenges and complex registration processes limit its effectiveness, particularly for live-in workers who often lack the necessary documentation or digital literacy.

Towards Dignified Employment

The transformation of domestic work from social stigma to dignified employment requires comprehensive policy interventions addressing both worker protection and social attitudes. Current initiatives show promising directions but need substantial scaling.

Skills development programmes conducted by the Maharashtra Labour Welfare Board focus on housekeeping, cooking, childcare, and soft skills training.

These programmes aim to enhance workers' employability and earning potential while providing placement assistance. However, the scope remains limited compared to the workforce size.

Legal protection mechanisms require strengthening through dedicated domestic workers legislation. The Supreme Court's recent directive to form an expert committee for recommending comprehensive legal frameworks indicates national recognition of this need.

Unlike general labour laws, domestic work-specific legislation must address unique challenges, including workplace definitions, employment proof requirements, and dispute resolution mechanisms.

Social security coverage represents another crucial intervention area. The Maharashtra government's planned social security framework for gig workers, funded through employer cess, offers a model for extending similar protection to domestic workers. This approach could provide health insurance, life coverage, and educational benefits while maintaining financial sustainability.

Community organisation efforts like the Vidarbha Molkarin Sanghatana demonstrate how collective action can improve working conditions and wages.

These organisations provide legal assistance, negotiate with employers, and create awareness about worker rights. Their success in influencing legislation shows the potential for broader organised labour movements in this sector.

The evidence from Vidarbha indicates that domestic work functions primarily as an economic necessity rather than a social evil.

While exploitation and poor working conditions persist, they result from inadequate regulation and social prejudices rather than inherent characteristics of the work itself. Rural economic distress, agricultural unemployment, and limited alternative employment opportunities drive thousands of women into domestic labour markets where they perform essential services for urban households.

The path forward requires recognising domestic work as legitimate employment deserving legal protection, fair wages, and social security benefits. This transformation demands coordinated efforts from government agencies, civil society organisations, and individual employers to create dignified working conditions while maintaining the sector's role as a crucial livelihood source for marginalised communities.

Only through such comprehensive approaches can domestic work in Vidarbha evolve from a survival strategy to a respectable profession.