Alleviation: An International Journal of Nutrition, Gender & Social Development, ISSN 2348-9340 Volume 5, Number 5 (2018):
© Arya PG College, Panipat & Business Press India Publication, Delhi
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Unnoticed Plight of Female Domestic Workers in Odisha: Explaining the Silence

Rajadarshini Patra
PhD Research Scholar
School of Women’s Studies
Utkal University, Odisha, India
Email: rajadarsinihere@gmail.com

Abstract

Working whole day and night and still she is asked to do something more to be regarded as a good daughter, sister, wife and mother. But her work has been invisible to everyone in the patriarchal system of the Indian society, so also her work in other’s house. Working in other’s house is known as domestic work and the woman is a domestic worker. Domestic work continues, worldwide, to be easily and readily available. So women from poor family background, backward regions come to urban cities and get engaged as domestic workers and nobody knows their inner sufferings. The present study deals with the invisible or unnoticed issues of female domestic workers in urban cities of Odisha. The present study was undertaken to study the invisible sight of domestic workers’ life (past and present). The research study was conducted by using observation, personal interview through questionnaire and group discussion. The problems of women domestic workers were more than that of other unorganized workers. It was found that women hesitated to disclose their profession with their own people they left. Their employment was unregulated, unauthorized and there was no written contract between the workers and employers which created lot of sufferings related to wage, job contract and work structure.
The concluding remark can be summarized that the problems of domestic workers should be taken into consideration. The legal provisions for domestic workers should be transparent and both workers and employers should work on this, so that domestic workers and employers work place relationship will be legalized and continued for long.

Keywords: Backward, Contract, Domestic Work, Transparent, Unregulated