One’s Workplace, Other’s Home? Work and Health of Domestic Workers in Argentina

Abstract

Background:Domestic workers around the world work and eventually live in private homes where control of working conditions is difficult.Objective:The aim of this study was to compare working conditions and its impact on general and mental health in live-in and live-out domestic workers in Argentina.Methods:In a cross-sectional study, the Spanish version of the European Workings Condition Survey and an ad hoc questionnaire were applied to 201 domestic workers (response 94%). Twelve months’ prevalence of verbal or physical workplace violence was assessed. Poor general health was defined by general health self-assessed as poor or fair. Symptoms of common mental disorders (CMD) were considered present if Goldberg’s general health score was above 4. Data were analyzed using Chi square’s test and logistic regression models.Findings:Live-in workers formed 66% of the participants. They were more likely to take care of the elderly, iron and cook than live-out workers. Workplace violence was reported by 17% of live-in and 24% of live-out workers (p = 0.25). Overall prevalence of poor general health was 23%; 53% reported CMD. After adjustment, violence remained a statistically significant predictor of poor general health (Odds Ratio 7.3; 95% Confidence Interval 2.8–19.1) and CMD (3.2; 1.1–9.3).Conclusions:Working conditions of live-in and live-out domestic workers are different. However, exposure to workplace violence is common in both groups and affects general and mental health.

Workplace hazards and health among informally employed domestic workers in 14 cities, United States, 2011–2012: Using four approaches to characterize workers’ patterns of exposures

“…Three lines of evidence lend credibility to our findings. First, the limited literature quantitatively examining exposure to single workplace hazards and health among DWers, in the US and internationally, documents cross‐sectional associations of similar magnitude to those observed in this study using the single hazards approach 7–11 . For example, in a 2007 nationally representative sample of formally employed (i.e., agency‐employed) home health aides, the odds of having a back injury were 4.64 (95% CI 1.6–14.0) times higher among aides who did versus those did not report the need for additional ergonomic equipment, net of education, income, racialized group, and job training 7 .…”

“…Research examining the health of DWers experiencing combinations of workplace hazards is urgently needed. The sparse literature quantitatively examining workplace exposures and health among DWers in the United States and internationally has documented cross‐sectional associations between various single hazards (e.g., lack of rest breaks, cleaning chemicals, physical abuse, and late wages) and work‐related (e.g., back injury) and general health (e.g., self‐rated health) 7–11 . Our recent study using a novel latent class approach found that informally employed US DWers experience distinct patterns of workplace hazards, motivating further analyses of the health implications of such exposure patterns 12 .…”

Health Literacy among Filipino Domestic Workers in Macao

“…This is because living conditions of most migrant workers increase health vulnerabilities, such as lack of family support, language and cultural differences, and inadequate social security. Furthermore, this makes it difficult to bear excessive costs, thereby affecting the workers' health situation [4,5]. The World Health Organization (WHO) proposed developing public policies for migrant workers.…”

Exhaustion: Migrant mental health, gendered migration and workplace regime

“…Two surveys conducted in Texas and Argentina underlined a high prevalence of poor mental health among migrant domestic workers. Suffering from violence in the workplace and feeling unsafe in the workplace were both risk factors for mental disorders (Bauleo et al., 2018).…”