Experiences of domestic workers about their working conditions linked to their health

Abstract

According to the ILO (2011), Domestic Workers are a considerable workforce in the informal sector and are among the most vulnerable workers. The above is relevant when considering that 93% of this population are women, and it is one of the work contexts with the most disadvantages (Lexartza et al., 2016; Velázquez et al., 2020). Objective: Describe the experiences of their working conditions linked to health from the perspective of domestic workers. Method: Qualitative, phenomenological design. With a purposeful sample, semi-structured interviews were applied to six domestic workers using the snowball technique for the sample, establishing the data saturation criterion to determine the sample size, the inclusion criterion was that they were employed at the time of the interview, over 18 years of age and will agree to participate voluntarily. Categories of analysis were carried out through vertical and horizontal reading, segmenting and reducing the data. The categories were validated by two expert readers. Results: None of the participants have a work contract, they do not have access to social security, half of them have had a bonus at some point and only one has had it every year. The domestic worker participants report that they are unaware of the rights that the Federal Labor Law grants them, they assume that the legal benefits are considerations of the employers because they are good employers. They do not refer to physical, chemical, ergonomic, biological or psychosocial risks, although they do recognize work overload and some musculoskeletal discomfort, fatigue and injuries derived from their work. Conclusions: Domestic employees refer among their experiences to the absence of contracts in their labor relationships, which is why they consider that these relationships are informal since in their speeches there are expressions such as the lady who helped you and not in labor terms.

Legal benefits such as vacations and rest days are granted to workers, depending on the needs of the employer without prior notice, that is, if the employer has to leave due to an emergency or vacation, then he decides that those days are when household workers will be laid off. When access to social security, overtime or bonuses are granted by the employer, it is considered an act of good will or a trait of benevolence and not as an employer obligation.