Delhi man says he is 'secretly paying Rs 20K every month' to his maid, his reason will move you

Maids are among the most underappreciated people we encounter almost every day in our lives. Whether full-time or part-time, they make our lives significantly easier by handling cooking, cleaning, and other household chores, while we work on "projects that will change the world" in our offices.

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Most maids are underpaid

Despite their invaluable service, many maids are not paid a decent salary that would allow them to make ends meet. In fact, maids are among the most exploited class of workers, and most of them live in abject poverty.

Also read: Expecting Wife To Do Household Chores Is Not Cruelty, Asking Husband To Leave His Family Is: Court

A Delhi man took to social media to express his shock upon learning how little his family was paying their maid and how he decided to help her. A Reddit user, who goes by the name Alternative-Ad4581, shared that he has been secretly helping his maid for the past three years.

CREDIT: Unsplash

Shocked to learn how less maid is paid

"About three years ago, I was having a discussion with my mom about how much she pays our maid. My mom said Rs 7,000 a month, even though she works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with no holidays. When I asked why it's so low, she told me that's the going rate," the Reddit user wrote.

He added that when he asked around, neighbors, friends, and family also said they pay similar amounts to their maids, leaving him wondering how they were surviving on such meager incomes.

Also read: Woman claims her boyfriend treats her like a maid, says he doesn't even wash his own dishes

'Not even minimum wage'

What was even more shocking was that the maid's salary was far below the minimum wage and poverty line in Delhi.

"I then looked up the minimum wage and the poverty line in Delhi. The poverty line is Rs 12,000 a month, and the minimum wage is Rs 18,000. I really thought that no one should be working full-time in my home and making less than minimum wage," he wrote.

CREDIT: Pexels

'Secretly paying her since'

To make her life a little better, the Reddit user decided to do something radical.

"Since then, I have been secretly giving my maid Rs 20,000 a month, plus whatever she gets from my mom as extra. She says that the money has changed how she and her kids live," he wrote.

The Reddit user ended the post by expressing his frustration at why we underpay our maids so much, arguing that it was unacceptable and hoping that things would change soon.

The unacceptable salary of maids in India
byu/Alternative-Ad4581 inindia

How others reacted

The post has received more than 800 upvotes and over 250 comments in less than three hours. Many on Reddit appreciated the kind gesture and agreed that maids are underpaid.

"That¡¯s the price we as a nation pay for the informal employment sector," one person wrote.

"Guess it¡¯ll take a while to change the mindset of our average Indian household. Typical behavior! Yet we eat the food they cook and wear the clothes they wash for us! Imagine the life of a middle and upper-class household without their maids," another user added.

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