Domestic workers

Domestic workers perform a range of tasks for and in other peoples households. They may cook, clean and wash the laundry, and look after children, the elderly or persons with disability. They may work as gardeners, guardians or family chauffeurs. Most of them are women. They are often excluded, de jure or de facto, from labour and social protection. Part of the reason for this is that domestic work takes place in the home and involves, to a large extent, tasks that women have traditionally carried out without pay.

Nevertheless, there has been increasing recognition, nationally and internationally, of the economic and social value of domestic work and of the need to improve domestic workers' living and working conditions. A number of countries have put in place or are formulating legal and policy measures towards this end. These demonstrate that there are varied ways of regulating domestic work.

The specific characteristics of domestic work and diverse realities across the world call for innovative and creative approaches to protecting domestic workers while responding to the needs of families and households that employ them. This website is intended to support initiatives in this regard by facilitating the sharing of information, country experiences and knowledge, and practical tools on domestic work.