Table 2 presents the demographic details of respondents. According to the respondents, they initially migrated to the study area from the surrounding districts to secure livelihoods and explore earning opportunities. Among respondents, thirty-seven lived in the city for the last 12 years, while twenty-four respondents lived in the area for 5 to 7 years. Fifty-six respondents lived for the last two to four years while 28 respondents were relatively new in the locality. Majority of the participants (66.20%) lived in joint families while a few working women lived as a single parent family. Majority of the participants was in the age group range of 21-30 and 31-40 years old. The demographic details of respondents also highlighted their average family size is 6.8 per household and that they have either no schooling or less than primary level education.
Out of 54 respondents, 21 worked as housemaids, 16 as laundry-maids, twelve as cooks, and five as child caregivers. Number of persons who earn ranged from 1-4 person per household with each household having high level of dependent members (see Table 3). In majority cases, the spouses of all the respondents worked as street vendors, taxi drivers, construction labors, juice sellers and garbage collectors. In 25 households, children were also working to earn for their families. In most cases, children were enrolled in schools while only 23 respondents reported that their children were studying in government schools. Out of 54 respondents, forty-seven respondents had rented accommodation. Majority of rented houses were single room with kitchen facility while a few respondents were living in the servant quarters of the households where they worked. The rent of accommodations ranged from US $55 to $65 per month. Only five respondents had bank accounts, all the respondents had mobile phones, and 36 respondents had domestic animals for meeting their milk needs.
COVID-19 severely disrupted access to services and resources. Respondents highlighted that after the emergence of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns, majority of basic services were closed. For instance, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) directed to civil administration on the closure of economic activities, banned inter and intra city mobility, suspended educational facilities and reduced health services to a minimum. Respondents highlighted that the implementation of such kind of restrictions created a stressful environment, and everyone showed his/her concern. Particularly, those who were already suffering from limited access to services and opportunities were in trouble. Women domestic workers documented that they faced difficulty in access to basic services during lockdown.
During lockdown, life became very challenging, because everything that you need was inaccessible and shut down. For people like us who are totally dependent on their daily earnings were in serious trouble. Mostly, we don't keep enough food items stocked at home. When the lockdown was announced, everyone rushed to the groceries stores and purchased enough food items for themselves. But people like us who don't have enough money and hardly manage their home were at risk to face severe problems to feed themselves and their dependents.
The disruption in social services and market closure pushed people to experience an unprecedented situation. The respondents highlighted that chaos ensued without any alternative arrangements. For instance, people were informed not to come to work due to market closure and fear of being infected by others, the suspension of basic services such as transport, education and most importantly health services generated a crisis for them which was never experienced before. One of the childcare giver women workers reported,
My mother has serious health issues; she needs frequent checkups from physicians. But during the lockdown, health services were limited to only emergency services. We visited the health facility several times but were not allowed to have an appointment. She suffered a lot and became weaker day by day. Because I could not afford the private clinic expenses, we mostly relied on old medication, but for me it was very hard to purchase medicines.
Furthermore, the closure of private clinics also made it challenging for poor families who had limited resources and access to quality health care services. These private clinics operated by healthcare practitioners provided health services relatively cheaper. Restrictions and bans on these private clinics put the poor families at disadvantage.
COVID-19 indiscriminately affected the livelihood of women domestic workers engaged in informal sector. The primary data revealed that in most cases, women domestic workers relied on their own earnings to support their families. Before COVID-19, these domestic workers were dependent on the households where they offered their services in different capacities for fixed hours in a day. For instance, one respondent highlighted that they mostly worked at three to four households at the same time and visited them in fixed hours. While working, the households facilitated them in kind such as food items, cloths, vegetables, fruits and supported them financially at the time of any emergency. Women domestic workers documented that the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent unprecedented situation of lockdown has adversely affected their livelihood options. One of the housemaids expressed during interview:
I worked as a housemaid in three different households. Since the government announced the lockdown, I have been informed by the families not to come for work. Initially, I thought that it might be for one or two days but as the days passed, the period became longer. Hence, I was worried about our livelihood because I had no income throughout the lockdown period. In addition, at home, we don't have sufficient amount of money to meet our needs. Therefore, at that time I was struggling to find any alternative.
The interview details also revealed that COVID-19 outbreak created a sense of worry among respondents regarding their livelihood. They faced an array of problems to manage their livelihood during COVID-19. For instance, majority of the women domestic workers whose husbands earned to support their families reported that restrictions on transport services further exacerbated their livelihood opportunities.
My husband is a taxi driver and he used to go to work regularly. Since the lockdown was imposed, he could not find work. During the lockdown, he tried several times but was unable to get enough customers. During that period, he mostly returned home empty handed with zero earnings.
Domestic women workers from single parent families were adversely affected by lockdown. Most of these families were unable to pay for their daily expenses. Though they were supported by other family members such as fraternal and maternal relatives and in-laws, but they hardly met their basic needs. One respondent recalled that time and documented,
There were no food items left at home to eat. I remember one morning when I woke up early and went out to find something for breakfast. After one and half hour struggle, I knocked at a door hopelessly and requested them to give something for breakfast. Thankfully, that family gave me adequate amount of grocery items and vegetables.
Most of the respondents illustrated that they borrowed money from relatives, neighbors, and friends to meet the daily expenses. The lockdown and the subsequent crisis impoverished women domestic workers and their families. Although the intensity of these problems varies across families, but the adverse effects are more pronounced in single parent families and in families with more dependent family members.
After one week of lockdown, I was really worried how to manage the required groceries until I could resume work. Because, we have more family members, I used to buy wheat flour, sugar, edible oil etc., from a nearby grocery store at the corner of our street. But during the lockdown when shops were allowed to be open only for certain hours, I visited many times, but the owner refused to give me required food items on credit.
Majority respondents reported the loss of livelihood opportunities resulting from the shutdown of economic activities. A sense of worry was reported by all the respondents over their retention of jobs and earnings, debt repayment, and restoration of livelihoods opportunities.
The interview details revealed that majority of the respondents disproportionately experienced financial hardship during COVID-19. In most cases, women domestic workers lost their jobs and earnings which directly affected their household expenditures. Though they were working with households for many years, they received minimum financial support from the employers. The respondents reported that in many cases they were forced to leave their jobs while others lost their jobs due to unavailability of intra city transport which restricted their travel to the workplaces. The lost jobs and lack of earning opportunities resulted into debt which put the women domestic workers under pressure and vulnerable to economic hardships. For instance, majority of respondents was worried about the repayment of debt that compelled them to make different compromises. They were struggling to readjust their household expenditures and cut down on food choices, health services, leisure activities, recharging of mobile and cable television (in few cases), participation in family and social gatherings, and personal expenses. One of the women domestic workers documented that:
Having no job and minimum earnings compels you to revisit all of your life choices. We experienced it for the first time and were confused what to do when everyone around us had the similar economic conditions. The lockdown period drastically affected our economic position.
The respondents highlighted that the economic hardships vary by families and social arrangements. For instance, in the first case, those women domestic workers who had more working family members were relatively in a better position to absorb economic shocks. While in the second case, women domestic workers who were sole bread earners or had more dependent family members were in serious economic trouble. In both cases, majority respondents agreed that economic hardships severely and adversely affected their overall wellbeing and family welfare.
We had a cow and a goat to meet our milk needs. But I sold the goat for a very cheap price because I had no money in hand to feed my family.
The interview details also revealed that lost job and reduction in earnings affected the household dynamics such as shrinking of household earnings, withered savings, increased debt, difficulty in management of household expenditure, and changing nature of family relationships. Respondents documented that the sudden reduction in economic resources and subsequent economic constraints made the life of women domestic workers stressful and challenging.
We hardly managed our household expenditures, and the overall quality of life has deteriorated. We faced difficulty in payment of rent, food intake got restricted, marital relationships were stressed. Due to indebtedness, families became economically under-pressure which led to financial insecurities; therefore, families were forced to sell their personal assets.
In addition, women domestic workers complained that increase in prices of basic commodities further aggravated their hardship. The pandemic and resulting lockdown created both long- and short-term economic hardships for domestic women workers. In the short term, they had to restore the household expenditures while in the long run they had to manage their economic resources in such a way that enabled them to minimize their economic insecurities and hardships.
The government Ehsas Emergency Cash program was launched just after the introduction of lockdown. The purpose of the program was to facilitate those vulnerable groups of society who were experiencing economic hardship during the pandemic. Government allocated 203 billion Pakistani Rupees to provide direct cash assistance of Rupees 12000 (equal to $75 US dollar @160 = 1$) to more than 15 million families across the country. Out of 54 respondents, 27 women domestic workers or their family members received the assistance.
My friend shared the details of the government direct cash assistance program. I sent my information. After a few hours, I received the message that I was eligible for the program. I thought it might not work but after one and a half week, I received a detailed message on mobile to visit the specific location and collect the money.
Upon further probing that majority of respondents did not get the government assistance, it was revealed that most respondents were either unaware or could not follow the process for getting registered in the system.
When I was informed by my neighbor that such kind of cash program was launched, I tried to send my details, but it was too late.
The financial assistance support by the government was utilized by women domestic workers and their families in purchasing food items, payment of rent, and other utilities. The women domestic workers lamented over the selection process and the cash transfer mechanism. They perceived that the system in place has certain deficiencies such as available data in the system which disqualified majority of the poor families and there was no redressing mechanism for any complaint. Other than the government social support system, women domestic workers received help and assistance from charitable organizations, philanthropists, and the local community. Domestic workers received ration bags, vegetables, cooked food items, and clothes as a one-time support or help. It was also revealed during interviews that majority respondents did not ask anyone for assistance and help in the crucial time to avoid exposing their poverty and lowering their dignity; they only relied on the money they earned by working in houses, and on those house owners who provided cash and other items without even asking. Though the government assistance and social support received from different actors were considered necessary initiatives, but they were not sufficient for overall uplifting of the lives of these women domestic workers in the post lockdown situation.
The lockdown left poor communities, especially the domestic women workers, marginalized and vulnerable to many challenges. These challenges ranged from personal, economic, social and psychological challenges. At personal level the respondents reported stress, anxiety, and depression which adversely affected the marital relationship in many households. Conflicts at the household level were reported among couples which led to stress in marital relationship and subsequently led to domestic violence in many cases.
My husband is a chain smoker, he needs two packets of cigarettes daily. I managed it for one and a half week but then it was difficult for me to manage such amount of money every day. My husband asked for money, but I refused many times, and told him that we are going short of money, and it was difficult to manage the household expenditures. Gradually, he became annoyed and aggressive. He attempted three times to beat me, but I luckily managed to escape.
The economic hardships resulted in the domestic workers getting laid off and suddenly losing earnings which compelled them into many compromises including cutting down on many household expenditures, food choices, health services, and pushed families into indebtedness. Due to the financial constraints, the women domestic workers restricted their social relationships and avoided participation in family and social gatherings which they perceived as adverse effects on their social standing and arrangements.
Participation in family and social gatherings needs financial resources. But when your life is at risk and you are struggling to feed yourself and other family members, how can one participate in any kind of event? Though it negatively affects your family relationship with your relatives and others, but you have to set your priorities because once you are in a crisis, very few people will get you out of trouble.
The respondents illustrated that they were suffering from psychological problems. For instance, stress, depression, and anxiety were common issues.
I did not pay attention to my household chores. Through I tried it several times, but I always found myself absentminded and sometimes very worried about how things will settle down. Even my children complained so many times, but it was difficult to manage myself.
The nature of psychological problems these women domestic workers experienced vary by family arrangements. However, these psychological issues also created personal health issues among women domestic workers which they perceived were caused by the strain in the earnings and household expenditures.