Lived Experiences of Female Domestic Workers in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Abstract

Domestic work is an informal sector which employs thousands of female workers. Despite the ratification of the Domestic Workers Convention in 2011, female domestic workers face many challenges. The convention seeks to ensure that domestic workers access healthcare, are paid at least minimum wages, access paid leave and are eligible for social security benefits and they hardly receive the minimum wages stipulated in law or any social security and medical benefits. The general objective of this study was to explore the experiences of female domestic workers in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The Marxist Feminist Theory and the Caroline Moser Model underpinned the study. The study was conducted in Nairobi City County, Kenya. A descriptive research design was used in this study. The study population was female domestic workers under the 23 Househelp Bureaus in Nairobi County, Kenya. Systematic random sampling was applied in the study sample selection. A sample size of 10 female domestic workers selected randomly from 10 out of the 23 Househelp Bureaus in Nairobi County, Kenya was used. The study used in-depth interviews to collect data from female domestic workers. In-depth interview qualitative data was recorded, categorized, and subjected to theme analysis. From the study findings, the typical house chores were homogenous across various homes. The findings depict that most of the domestic workers received a monthly pay that was below the government’s minimum wage and majority of the participants lived and worked in employers’ residences. All the domestic workers revealed that they had acquired new skills in the course of their employment. These findings revealed that the female domestic workers did not have good sleep. The study findings indicated that the female domestic workers left their previous employers due to various issues, including: - violation of their rights, salary delays, accusations of interference with marital issues, health issues, low pay, reduced salaries, mistrust, and misunderstandings with their employers. This study recommends that domestic work rules of engagement be formalized. This could be achieved through the recruitment and training be carried out by registered agencies or firms. This study also recommends to advocacy groups to take up the issue of minimum wage payments paid to most of the female domestic workers in Nairobi. This study recommends that domestic workers, through informal employment agencies be taught on various skills that would be handy in performance of their duties. Finally, this study recommends that employers treat the domestic workers with respect, love and dignity.