How Are Househelps & Maids Coping Up With Losing Their Jobs During The Coronavirus Pandemic

For 28-year-old Sonu, life has taken a drastic turn. A week ago, work was as usual for her. Waking up at 7 in the morning, getting her daughter ready for the school, cooking a meal and stepping out of the house. She would begin work at 8.30. Of the four houses where she works as a cook and househelp, she would first pick the one with lesser members and then move to other houses.

However, there¡¯s no work now.

During the coronavirus outbreak, India is on a partial lockdown. National capital New Delhi is under a curfew. The extreme measures are taken to control the deadly outbreak which has killed thousands globally.

¡°These are precarious times for all of us. I never thought this would happen someday. None of us ever imagined this situation,¡± a worried Sonu says.

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Sonu hails from Bihar and migrated to Delhi in 2009 with her husband. She got married in 2007. Currently, she lives in a rented accommodation with her 10-year-old daughter in Delhi¡¯s Freedom Fighters Enclave, Saket.

¡°My husband is in Bihar. He is a farmer by profession. He comes here sometimes. But right now it is just me and my daughter here,¡± she tells.

Sonu has been asked to not come to work by all the four households where she works as househelp. With the recent government order, everyone is advised to stay at home. While this means that most people would be working from home and doing household chores by themselves, this also means losing jobs for maids and cooks. While some called to tell her to stop coming to work the following day, some offered an additional amount of money to ease the economic burden.

¡°I am not working currently. The schools are shut and my daughter is at home too. Everyone has asked me to not come to work now onwards. I got the last month¡¯s salary on the first of this month so I have some money saved up for the month and to take care of the daily expenses. But I have no idea how long this will last. I don¡¯t know if my employers will give me any salary next month. Some said that they will pay me even if I do not go but I can¡¯t really tell,¡± Sonu says in a worried voice and some lines on her forehead.

She fears managing the house will be difficult if she doesn¡¯t receive her salary.

¡°One didi called me in the morning and asked me to come, not for work but she was offering me some additional money so that I am able to take care of my finances in this situation. I went out but the police did not allow me to enter the society. I went back home. She called me later saying that she will visit me in the evening. That money would really help me.¡±

Sonu is worried that if she doesn¡¯t get the salary for this next month, it would be difficult for her to manage the house. ¡°I have to pay a total of Rs 5,500 per month for the rented accommodation, including the electricity bill and water bill. I have a ration card but I¡¯ve never used it. I remember chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announcing that we will get groceries at a cheaper rate. That was very generous of him,¡± she explains.

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She is also worried about the coronavirus pandemic. She worries for her daughter¡¯s safety and of her employees. ¡°I have never seen anything like this. I am scared of the virus but we are dealing with it in our own ways. My daughter and I do not step out of the house even though she sometimes wants to go out, I tell her this isn¡¯t the best time,¡±she says adding it is difficult to explain children.

When asked what precaution she is exercising, Sonu says that she doesn¡¯t have a mask and has hardly used a sanitiser in her life. She says,¡°If I step out, I tie my dupatta around my mouth and nose. Waise bhi TV pe kaha hi zaroori nahi hai mask pehna jaaye, so this works for me.¡±

Thousands of maids share a similar story. Those in the informal sector are hit the hardest. There is uncertainty around their hard-earned money. The future of large numbers of domestic workers looks uncertain. While there are several welfare schemes announced by the government, what they really need is the certainty that they will still have their jobs when the situation gets better. While many residents have given a paid leave to their house helps concerning their safety and their own, in the long run domestic workers would need more than this.