Who Said Domestic Work Is as Easy as ABC?
Behind every clean home lies an invisible physical and emotional burden. It is time we recognize the true toll of domestic labor and demand dignity, safety, and equal rights for the workers who sustain our households
By Rossie Achieng, Researcher at Haki Data Lab
For years, domestic work has been viewed by many as one of the easiest jobs anyone can do. It is often dismissed as "just housework", cooking, cleaning, washing clothes, caring for children, and performing other household duties. But behind those seemingly simple tasks are workers carrying a heavy physical, emotional, and mental load that remains invisible to the very households they sustain.
It is time we looked beyond the clean floors and home-cooked meals. It is time we saw the person who made it all possible.
Domestic work is demanding, I know this because I worked as one for four years. It requires long hours, physical strength, patience, and emotional resilience. Many domestic workers wake up before the sun rises and work until long after it sets, often putting the needs of the families they work for before their own. Yet despite this contribution, the work is frequently undervalued, and the people doing it are sometimes treated without the dignity and respect they deserve.
The International Labour Organization and WIEGO estimates that there are over 76 million domestic workers worldwide, the vast majority (76%) who are women. For decades, this workforce was excluded from standard labour protections, treated as an extension of family obligation rather than as employment deserving of rights, contracts, and fair wages. The reality is stark. Domestic employees have little control over their working conditions, employment is usually arranged without a written contract, and many work long hours without breaks.
For some workers, the burden goes far beyond physical exhaustion. Domestic workers can face verbal abuse, harassment, exploitation, discrimination, and unsafe working conditions.
Some carry painful experiences and trauma long after leaving a workplace. These experiences can affect their confidence, wellbeing, and ability to trust others, yet many continue working because they have families to support and bills to pay.
The isolation of domestic work makes workers particularly vulnerable. Working behind closed doors, in private homes, often far from their own support networks, many suffer in silence. The fear of retaliation, job loss, or deportation keeps countless workers from speaking out.
I know this reality personally. I have been a victim of sexual harassment on several occasions, experiences that left me feeling powerless and without hope of ever receiving justice. Like many others, I had to keep going despite the pain because life does not stop when you are hurting. There were responsibilities waiting, and families depending on me.
But silence should not be the price we pay for survival.
That is why I have chosen to speak louder not only for myself, but for other domestic workers who may be going through similar experiences and feel they have no voice. We deserve workplaces where our safety is taken seriously, where complaints are heard, and where perpetrators are held accountable. We deserve fair treatment, respect, and justice.
The global movement for domestic workers' rights has gained significant momentum. In 2011, the ILO adopted Convention No. 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers, establishing that domestic work is work, and that domestic workers are entitled to dignity, protection, and voice like all other workers.
Since its adoption, 40 countries have ratified the Convention including Kenya, driving reforms that have strengthened rights and social protection for millions. Yet progress remains uneven. In many countries, domestic workers are still excluded from key labour laws, minimum wage protections, overtime pay, and social security. They remain among the lowest-paid workers, with limited access to health insurance, retirement benefits, or paid sick leave.
Domestic workers are not "just" cleaners, house helps, or caregivers. We are people. We are mothers, fathers, daughters, sons, sisters, and brothers. We are people working hard to provide for our families and build better futures.
Every day, we lift more than the physical weight of laundry, cooking, children, and household chores. We carry responsibilities, expectations, and for some of us painful experiences that nobody sees.
So, before you say domestic work is easy, look beyond the clean house. Look at the person who made it possible. Respect the worker. Listen to their voice. Protect their dignity. Because the weight we lift for you may be invisible to you, but it is very real to us.