Paid Domestic Work: Gender and the Informal Economy in Mexico

Abstract

A consideration of paid domestic work as an aspect of the informal economy in Mexico identifies some distinctive features: a paternalistic view rather than a labor relation based on a contract, a reluctance on the part of the state to regulate this employment area, and a devaluation of this work as something largely performed by women who are poor and of rural or indigenous origin. The lack of social security is almost universal among paid domestic workers, and coverage is one of the principal demands of organizations formed in defense of their rights. Un análisis del trabajo doméstico remunerado como un aspecto de la economía informal en México muestra algunos rasgos distintivos: una visión paternalista por encima de una relación laboral basada en un contrato, una renuencia por parte del Estado a regular esta ocupación laboral, y una devaluación de dicho trabajo como algo que realizan en gran parte las mujeres pobres y de origen rural o indígena. La falta de un seguro social es casi universal entre los trabajadores domésticos remunerados, y su otorgamiento constituye una de las principales exigencias por parte de las organizaciones en defensa de los derechos de dichos empleados.

Shifting Tides of Informal Worker Resistance in Mexico: A Domestic Work‐Construction Contrast

“…During the 1970s and 1980s the domestic worker's socio-demographic profile was a young, single woman, a recent migrant of rural or indigenous origin, with little or no schooling (Jelin, 1977;Goldsmith, 2007). Although some young women still migrate to seek household employment, this 'classic profile' (Rojas-García and Toledo-González, 2018) no longer predominates. Instead, mirroring the rest of female workforce, almost half of Mexican domestic workers are married (46 percent in 2017) and 78 percent are mothers, averaging 42 years in age.…”

“…Workers in the two sectors under study are largely informally employed with precarious working conditions. In the paid domestic work sector, the worker performs cleaning, food preparation and, in general, maintenance of someone else's household (Rojas‐García and Toledo‐González, 2018). Although paid domestic work can include other activities such as gardening or chauffeuring, we focus on these core tasks of cleaning, feeding, and general home maintenance.…”

En sus propias palabras: las experiencias sociolaborales de trabajadoras del hogar y del cuidado de Bolivia, Perú y Uruguay

“…En segundo lugar, la naturaleza del trabajo las sitúa en los aposentos privados de los hogares. La ausencia, insuficiencia o incumplimiento de normas que velen por ellas dentro de residencias privadas contribuye a su inseguridad (Brites, 2014;Espinosa & Pérez, 2022;Pérez, 2020;Rojas-García & Toledo-Sánchez, 2017). Asimismo, con frecuencia las adolescentes y mujeres en este empleo no cuentan con redes sociales ni familiares cercanos que puedan brindar un apoyo o auxilio.…”

Earning our place: How we can use interdisciplinary collaborations to move forward with sustainable development goals

“…By these numbers alone, it could be argued that failing to study informal work is a failure to understand what work is in these contexts. Taking Mexico as a case study, an example of a job role in the informal sector is paid domestic work, defined as “the activity in which labor is bought and sold for the tasks of daily reproduction in the domestic setting” (Rojas-García & González, 2017, p. 147). Domestic work employs 11% of Mexico’s economically active women (Rojas-García & González, 2017).…”