Exploitation and Inequities: Domestic Workers and COVID19

Latina women make up most of the domestic workers in the Los Angeles area

Women primarily make up the domestic work force in the U.S.

Why the U.S.?

• The U.S. destabilized the governments of the home countries of domestic workers, which caused them to emigrate to the U.S. en masse

Domestic Workers in Los Angeles get paid very low wages.

• They do not have paid sick days or health insurance
• They do not have labor laws that protect them
• Depending on their citizen status, they could risk deportation if they speak out
• Low-wage earners have no safety net
• Who watches the children of domestic wokers while they take care of other peoples children?

Domestic Work and the CORONAVIRUS:

• When the pandemic hit, domestic workers were still expected to work, or risk losing their jobs. They are at higher risk of contracting the virus, while also not having the privilege of being able to self-quarantine and isolate which creates a public health issue.
• What happens if the domestic workers get sick? Lose their jobs? Expose their children and loved ones?

Domestic Work is Gendered and Racialized

This Means That:

• Domestic Work is not valued like other types of work
• Employers exploit their employees by not offering protections, paying them low wages, and forcing them to work long hours
• There is no room for upward social mobility in Domestic Work
• Domestic Workers have historically always been women of color (Black Women and Latina/Hispanic Women)

The Center for Disease Control Says:

• Hispanic and Latino communities are at 2x the risk of contracting the virus than white communities, 3.x more hospitalized, and 2.3x more likely to die from the coronavirus
• This is because Hispanic and Latino communities are more likely to be essential workers and low-wage earners, interacting with the public, with constant risk exposure
• It also means that the domestic worker community has lack of access to quality health care and medicines, if they do contract the virus

1 in 25 Women Workers Worldwide Is a Domestic Worker

Women and Children are Suffering

• The pandemic has highlighted the disparities between the rich and poor, between white and non-white
• The exploitation of domestic workers has far-reaching and devasting effects on their loved ones, their livelihoods, and their communities.
• When women and their children are cared for and valued, society as a whole becomes prosporous and healthy.