Most Americans don't know the widespread use of maids in middle and upper class Indians......
Employing a maid and other household help in India is common. Many Non- Resident Indians (NRIs), including myself, have lived in the West where we had to do all the household chores without any help. However, when we come back to India, we realize most of the people behave as if they live in the raja saheb days, so maids and other household help becomes a requirement. While having household help can relieve some burden and simplify life, it also becomes increasingly complicated as we add on hired help to the list. We must remember that maids want their own holidays, take planned or unplanned leave for trips to their native place, or to attend to sickness and family concerns. Because of this, retaining maids can be and is a problem for many.
In India, 30% of the urban population lives in slums. 80% of these people work in informal sectors earning as little as $2/day. 64% of women don't have access to toilets, and 98% don't have direct water supply. 35% of the women have at least one chronic disease like TB. These factors have resulted in an unhappy and unhealthy female workforce. Maid in India addresses these issues at its core - by providing opportunities for women to improve their standard of living.
What is the issue, problem, or challenge?In India, maids are an essential part of our lives, but their treatment and pay do not reflect that. For millions of maids who have no recognition as a labor-force, MII organizes, trains and provides them employment, giving them access to our benefits package, including health cover, insurance, pension and child support. Our maids earn 97% more than before. This has helped us provide legitimacy to their vocation, create a healthier, more effective and more prosperous labor force. |
