Exploring Coping Strategies Applied by Domestic Workers to Remedy Challenges Arising from Low Wages

Exploring Coping Strategies Applied by Domestic Workers to Remedy Challenges Arising from Low Wages

 *Elizabeth Zyambo¹, Francis Simui² & John Moose³

Doctoral Student, Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia,¹

Associate Professor, Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia,²

Manager, Teaching Council of Zambia³

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.90300229

Received: 05 March 2025; Accepted: 08 March 2025; Published: 09 April 2025

ABSTRACT

The study explored the strategies used by domestic workers to mitigate challenges arising from their low salaries using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach within a qualitative study. The study sought to understand the lived experiences of twenty-two (22) participants using reflexive thematic analysis. The study revealed five primary coping mechanism and these include reliance on debt, particularly through informal in formal savings and lending schemes such as village banking, engaging in supplementary jobs such as piece works during off days, receiving financial and material support from relatives and friends, residing at employers’ homes to reduce living expenses and remaining silent about wage concerns to maintain job security. The findings highlight the resilience and adaptive strategies of domestic workers in the face of economic hardships, emphasizing the need for policy interventions to improve their financial well-being.

Keywords: Low wages, Coping strategies, Domestic workers, Hermeneutic phenomenology, qualitative research

INTRODUCTION

Domestic workers play a crucial role in the global economy as a whole and households in particular by providing essential household services such as cleaning, childcare, ironing washing, cooking and taking care of children and elderly (ILO, 2021). ILO is a specialized organ of the United Nations (UN) responsible for drawing up and monitoring international labour standards.  The Domestic Workers Convention No. 189 and the Domestic Workers Recommendations No. 202 are the first set of international standards that establish a comprehensive legal framework specifically regulating the working life of domestic workers (Chen, 2021). The aim of new instruments (Domestic Workers Convention 2011 No.189 and Domestic Workers Recommendation No. 201) is to improve the working conditions of millions of domestic workers by setting minimum standards of employment for this occupational sector. Despite their significant contributions, many domestic workers often face challenges especially low wages which pose significant financial and social hardships, affecting their overall well-being and economic stability. Consequently, domestic workers are compelled to adopt various coping strategies to navigate and mitigate these difficulties and meet their basic needs. Understanding he coping strategies of domestic workers is essential for informing labour policies and advocating for better working conditions

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

Domestic workers’ world over face various challenges when they are earning less than the stipulated minimum wages. They in turn employ various coping mechanisms to survive the hardships that come with earning a lower wage. The strategies used by domestic workers shows the resilience of domestic workers as they strive to survive under difficult economic circumstances. These strategies reflect the resilience and adaptability of domestic workers as they navigate economic challenges associated with low-income employment. The strategies used also highlights the urgent need for systematic reforms to improve domestic workers’ wages, rights, working conditions and their well-being in general.

Multiple jobs and working long hours

Many domestic workers take on multiple jobs or work extended hours to supplement their income. They work on their off days thereby working for 24 hours a day and seven (7) days a week without rest. This lead to physical and mental exhaustion but it is necessary strategy to make ends meet. Many domestic workers in Zambia engage in additional income-generating activities during their free time. This includes small-scale trading such as selling vegetables, handmade craft, selling second-hand clothing. Such entrepreneurial endeavors provide extra income to meet needs.

Domestic workers in America, Asia and Australia who earn less than the minimum wage employ various coping mechanisms to manage their financial hardships. These strategies are often influenced by the specific socio-economic context of their respective regions (Smith, 2023),  for instance, in the United States, low wage domestic workers often rely on multiple strategies to copy with financial instability. Many engage in “gig” or informal work such as baby sitting, cleaning, or other side jobs that provide additional income (Tizchang, 2024). Community support and informal networks are crucial as workers may share housing with extended family or friends to reduce living costs. Additionally, some workers utilize public assistance programs such as food stamps and Medicaid to supplement their income.

In Asia, countries like Singapore, domestic workers frequently face isolation and stress due to their working conditions. Coping mechanisms include social support networks with fellow domestic workers. These support groups are often facilitated by organizations like Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2). These networks provide emotional support and practical advice on navigating employment challenges. Some workers also send remittances home which creates financial pressure but they just have to continue because it is necessary to support their families and home. Moreover, in Australia, coping strategies among low-wage domestic workers include engaging in informal work and relying on community networks. Workers might also participate in union activities or advocacy groups that help them understand their rights and seek better working conditions (Tizchang, 2024). Furthermore, some workers take advantage of government support services designed to assist low-wage individuals and families. These coping mechanisms highlight the resilience of domestic workers in managing financial challenges despite earning less than the minimum wage. These strategies often involve a combination of community support, informal work and leveraging available social services.

Borrowing from Informal lending and savings groups

Domestic workers often participate in informal savings groups such as rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCA) or commonly referred to in Zambia as village banking or Ichilimba. The Ichilimba is an initiative where a group of people come together and agree to be saving a particular amount per agreed time frame and when they meet, they give the chosen benefices. Each group member has to receive their money before the cycle ends. This helps domestic workers manage their finances better in that these groups provide a safety net by offering small loans and savings opportunities (Banda, 2020).

 Reducing personal expenses

Domestic workers often cut down on their personal expenses including food and healthcare so as to cope with lower wages. This can lead to long-term health issues and diminished quality of life. Despite this strategy bordering on their healthy, it is still a common strategy used to handle immediate financial constraints (Asiimwe, 2024).

Dependency on social networks

Social networks such as family, friends and community support play a vital role in providing financial and emotional support needed by domestic workers as they navigate on how to meet their basic survival needs. Domestic workers often rely on these networks for food, housing, clothing, education and any emergency funds. Moreover, to manage their stress of low wages and challenging working conditions, many domestic workers in Zambia rely on emotional coping strategies (Chikwiba, 2019) such as participating in religious activities, community gatherings or peer support groups.

Advocacy and collecting bargaining

In some regions, domestic workers join unions or advocacy groups that fight for better wages and working conditions. Collective bargaining can sometimes lead to wage increases and improved labour rights. In Zambia, some domestic workers join informal networks or associations such as domestic workers’ association of Zambia to collectively bargain for better working conditions. They believe that through solidarity, they enhance their negotiating power with employers, striving for fair compensation and treatment (Mwansa, 2020).

According to (Otieno, 2022), domestic workers in South Africa and Kenya deliberately join unions so as to benefit from the power of collective bargaining. Unions in these two countries have made strides in negotiating fair wages, conditions of employment and fair treatment for domestic workers. This is what was also observed by Silvey in his study about the entitled: “Unequal struggles: Domestic workers in Indonesia” where it was observed that domestic workers in Indonesia domestic workers’ unions to collectively advocate for better pay and working conditions. These unionize domestic workers have been successful in some region of Indonesia in negotiating higher wages and social protection (Silvey, 2019)

In- Kind benefits

Domestic workers often negotiate for non-monetary benefits to supplement their earning. These may include meals during working hours, accommodation especially the live-in workers, clothing or assistance with children’s education. These in-kind benefits reduce personal expenses thereby, increasing their disposable income and improves the quality of life for domestic workers (ILO, 2021). For example, live-in workers often save on rent, food and other utilities as they use the ones their employers are using. According to WIEGO, it is estimated that three million women are in Nepal’s labour market with 90.5 per cent in informal employment. Further, WIEGO adds that most domestic workers in Nepal are employed in live-in arrangements with multiple employers while others, many of them being adolescent girls, live in the homes of a single employer. Moreover, Nepal’s minimum wage does not apply to live-in domestic workers (WIEGO, 2020).

Resource Sharing and Communal Living

One of the strategies used by domestic workers to manage their expenses is that they share accommodation with fellow workers or family members. This communal living arrangement allows for shared expenses on rent, utilities and food making it more manageable to live on low wages. By pooling resources, they minimize individual costs or expenses thereby, allowing them to save more of their earnings (WIEGO, 2020).

Skill Development

Skills development is another strategy used by domestic workers to try to survive with low salaries. Some domestic workers in Zambia invest time in acquiring new skills or furthering their education during off-hours, by enhancing their qualifications, they increase the potential for higher-paying opportunities either within domestic work or in alternative employment sectors (Chanda, 2018)

Strategic Workload Management

Strategic workload management is another strategy used by domestic workers to manage their lives with low pay. Some domestic workers in Zambia adjust their work input to align with their remunerations. This self-regulated initiative ensures that they do not overextend themselves beyond what they consider fair for their pay. This also helps them maintain a balance between effort and compensation (ILO, 2021).

Emotional coping mechanisms

Given the emotional and psychological stress associated with low wages and challenging working conditions, domestic workers often resort to personal coping mechanisms. Activities such as keeping quiet, listening to music, engaging in religious practices or seeking support from peers help them manage stress and maintain mental well-being. According to (Adisa, 2021), in a study in Nigeria, it was discovered that domestic workers employ coping strategies such as keeping quiet and calm as they do this to avoid the employers from abusing them and do whatever they are asked to do in order to keep their jobs. They constantly read the mood of their employers to avoid upsetting them through talking. They employ this strategy to maintain a peaceful yet unhealthy relationship with their employers. They also avoid talking to others(strangers) from outside because they are scared that the outsiders would take their matters to their employers and they may end up losing their jobs.

Additionally, (Chanda, 2018)added that Zambian domestic workers also employ this emotional coping mechanism by keeping quiet and acting dumb like they are not hurt with whatever their employers are doing to them. Others said they just pour their emotional burdens to God, who is their strength in their low moments.

METHODOLOGY

The philosophical assumption of this study was interpretivist assumption which emphasizes on understanding human experiences and social phenomena from the perspective of the participants.  This assumption believes that humans can observe the truth and this truth can be interpreted different from context to context (Creswell, 2021). Interpretivist focuses more on understanding a specific case under discussion rather than generalizing the findings of one specific case to mean the overall truth (Saunders, 2019)This study adopted a hermeneutic phenomenology approach to explore the coping strategies employed by domestic workers in response to challenges arising from low wages. An exploratory qualitative research design was employed to capture the rich experiences of domestic workers. Qualitative research is very effective in understanding human behaviour, social structures and the meanings individuals assign to their experiences. The study interviewed and observed twenty-two domestic workers from four townships namely: Chawama, Kalingalinga, Kanyama and Garden Chilulu who were selected using snowball and criterion sampling which are non-probability sampling. The study started with two volunteers who were interviewed after explaining the purpose of the study and they were asked to refer the researcher to other domestic workers who meets the criteria. The referrals continued until the saturation point was reached with participant number 22 where the data became repeated and there was no new data coming forth. Therefore, the researcher stopped interviews with participant number 22 and that made the sample size to be 22 participants. Snowball sampling was used because domestic workers were difficulty to identify, given the informal and private nature of domestic work. Criterion sampling was used to ensure that participants met specific eligibility requirements which were that; one has to be a domestic worker working in a household, has minimum of six months’ work experience and working in Lusaka. Reflexive Thematic Analysis was used and facilitated a rich interpretation of lived experiences of domestic workers

Research Findings

On how they are managing with the low salary, all the 22 participants said that it is real struggle and pure sacrifice emphasizing the hardship endured.

Table 1: Summarized data on monthly salaries of domestic workers

Source: Field data (March 2024)

It was evident from the data above that most domestic workers are paid lower than stipulated minimum wage of K1,300 as salaries per with only 3 domestic workers paid above the minimum wage.

Five strategies therefore, emerged from the study as coping mechanism used by domestic workers to manage their lives with low wages and these are;

1. Debt such as village banking
2. Supplementary jobs such as piece works during off days
3. Support from relatives and friends
4. Living at their employers’ houses
5. Keeping quiet and calm as they constantly read the mood of their employers to avoid making them upset

Village banking such as ‘‘ichilimba” and supplementary jobs such as piece works and additional jobs during off days or hours were mentioned by all of them as a means of coping with their lives and expenses so as to make ends meet. Support from family and friends was another crucial means of survival for some participants as their salaries were far from being adequate therefore, they relied on family assistance. This help was in terms of money, food stuffs or keeping their children thereby reducing their financial burdens.

It is hard, my mother and I eat 1 meal a day or no meal at all. Once I eat at my work place, I just go home and sleep and mum also just eats at lunch.  I also do piece works when I knock off on Saturday and Sunday just to supplement the K700.00 for it is not enough and you know the costs of living in Lusaka (Chilufya, 23/03/2024)

The story is similar for Kangwa the 36-year-old married narrated how she has been managing life with K750.00 as salary. She attributed her survival strategy to help received from family and friends and her husband.

My husband helps with house economics as he does piece works to help out and family members sometimes they help out with food stuffs. Otherwise, life is tough my sister, I survive by God’s Grace (Kangwa, 30/03/2024)

Chama, the 21-year-old living in maid and is paid K600.00 per month. How she survives with a low salary is through free accommodation and food as she is a living in maid.

life is hard but I have no choice. It is better than nothing. I have been managing because I live there so I at least have free food and accommodation. I cannot even bring the issue of increment to K1,300.00 even now that I have leant about it, I will seem to be ungrateful (Chama, 24/03/2024)

According to (ILO, 2021), domestic workers, especially the living-in often save on rent, food and other utilities as they use the ones their employers are using. This study agrees with the findings from International Labour Organization. These are can be seen as payments in kind by the employers to the employees

Kampamba the 35year old divorced lady with one child laments on how the K900.00 salary is not enough to meet her monthly needs. She has been managing through joining a village banking and getting debts from there. Her other help comes from her family who are keeping her child.

It has been rough as I have reached an extent of taking my child to my mother. That way, once I eat at my place of work, I do not worry about food in the evening, just sleep. In short, I eat once a day. I also joined a village banking which is helping me as I can collect some debt there and pay later and collect again. So, it’s a circle of debts that I live (Kampamba, 30/03/2024)

Chiyenzi, the 15year old shared with tear in her eyes how it has been hard to manage her K600.00 salary between sending some money to her parent back home and managing her needs. Her main objective of leaving her home in Katete in search of green pastures has not been met. She attributed her survival mechanism to free accommodation and free food, water and electricity as a living-in maid. She added that if she was staying on her own, she could not have managed.

It is hard, when I get paid my K600.00, I send K500.00 to mum in Katete and remain with K100.00 for my lotion. So I cannot even save to take myself back to school. The only good thing in all this is that at least I have shelter and food as I live there. (Chiyenzi, 23/03/2024)

Chisenga, a 19 year described her salary of K1,000.00 as a drop in the ocean and that managing the financial need with such salary in Lusaka is close to impossible. She attributed her survival mechanism to the fact that she stays with her parents, meaning she has free accommodation which is paid by her father and her mom helps out with food.

It is very hard to manage monthly bills with K1,000.00 in Lusaka. Staying with my parents has been my coping strategy. Mom sells vegetables on the market and Dad does piece works. So, Dad pays rent, then mom and I contribute towards food, I mean basic nshima with rape or cabbage. We are simply surviving not really living (Chisenga, 24/03/2024)

Chifita is a 32years old divorced woman with 2 children. She has 16years of experience with different employers. She doesn’t have any formal education as she dropped out of school in grade 6. She attributes her survival mechanism to debt and doing piece works on her days off.

Despite the salary being slightly above the minimum wage, I have been struggling to survive for it is not enough in Lusaka. So, I go out on Sunday (on my off days) to wash people clothes or blankets and I am paid. The weekly money from washing I use for food. I also borrow and because my pay day is not fixed, that becomes a problem for me as I keep borrowing to pay back money, for example, if I borrowed money form A, when its due I go to B and borrow and pay A. Just like that, it’s survival of the fittest. (Chifita, 24/03/2024)

Kalima is a 47-year-old woman with a salary of k1200. She struggles to manage her bills due to high cost of living in Lusaka. She relies on her husband and neighbours to help out every now and then.

My husband helps out otherwise I cannot manage all the bills alone. Even neighbours also help out with salt, charcoal and sometimes mealie meal or relish. It is a live of suffering. (Kalima, 31/03/2024)

Kalipa is a 45-year-old single mother of 6 children described her situation as tough. She is constantly borrowing money to sustain her live and that of her children as her K800.00 salary per month cannot sustain her and her children. Her mechanism for survival is debt from her friends and from the village banking.

As a single mother, life is too rough. I always borrow money from neighbours, friends or my usual village banking to survive. As I am talking to you, I have a mountain of debts to settle …but what can one do? It is rough seeing life from this end, I mean from the eyes of a maid like me. (Kalipa, 30/03/2024)

Kasanda, the 34-year-old married woman with 4 children attributes her survival mechanism to debt, her family and her employer who gives her cash gifts from time to time and food stuffs.

It is difficult; we are barely surviving. I get debt every time to solve my financial problems, until recently. My husband who was a security guard used to help out; my parents are also a strong support system that I rely on as they have taken 2 of our 4 children to keep for me. My boss gives me food stuffs and some money most times K20.00 or K50.00 in between pays and this helps out a lot (Kasanda, 16/03/2024).

A 41-year-old widow by the name of Chawezi narrated her agony of surviving with K1,200.00 as her current salary. She has 21 years of experience with 10 employers but her salary has only risen to K1,200.00. With teary eyes, she described how life had turned out for the worst after the death of her husband who was supplementing her. The relatives of her late husband help me with my 3 children’s school stuff and she does piece works on her free days.

It has been hard as a single mother (widow) of three children. I thank my sister and brother in laws who help out with food and school stuff for the kids and I only concentrate on rent. I also do piece works on Sunday when I am free. This means that I end up working 7days a week without rest. Life is hard, for I am always tired (Chawezi, 24/0302024)

Chanda is a single mother with one child. She stays with her mother and gets paid k800 per month. She described how she has been managing the low salary by avoiding staying on her own so that she still benefits from free accommodation and food from her parents who are her strong support system.

My parents help take care of me and my baby, so the pay I get I use it to buy some groceries to help out my parents. That is how I have been managing my K800.00 pay. If I was to stay alone with my baby, I was not going to manage because accommodation alone is equivalent to my salary not to talk of food and the needs of the baby. Life could have been worse; I really thank my parents. (Chanda, 23/03/2024)

DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS

Domestic workers use several surviving mechanisms to remedy the many challenges they encounter due to low salaries. The key strategies used by participants from the study are; debt from family and friends and from village banking groups commonly referred to as “ichilimba”, others mentioned that they do supplementary jobs such as piece works during their off days, still others receive support from relatives and friends and that’s how they manage their low salaries.  As for the living-in maids, they said their survival strategy is enjoying free accommodation and food from their employers since they stay at their work place. Another strategy mentioned from this study is that they keep quiet and calm even amidst a provocation to avoid being fired.

The above findings are in agreement with a study by (Mudau, 2017), which revealed that some of the strategies employed by domestic workers was keeping quiet and calm as a way of coping with their challenges They constantly read the mood of their employers to avoid up-setting them through talking. They employ this strategy to maintain a peaceful yet unhealthy relationship with their employers. According to (Gama, 2023), the findings of the study on the pacifying power of wages in the domestic work domain reported that some domestic workers employ a strategy of negotiating to work as a living-in worker so as to save on accommodation and food. These strategies are helping them manage their low wages against high cost of living.

According to (Asiimwe, 2024), domestic workers in Saudi Arabia live as a group in community housing units so as to reduce on individual expenses on accommodation. This kind of living also helps them manage their small incomes as they eat together by contributing money for food stuffs. They also resort to social media to highlight their plight and seek assistance from international organizations. Another study in South Arica brought out strategies used by domestic workers as they mitigate their low wages. It was reported that they rely on extended family support and community networks to make ends meet.

Additionally (Banda, 2020), observed that the common strategies recorded in her study was that domestic workers rely on family support and getting debt from village banking commonly referred to as ichilimba to survive as their salaries are not enough to sustain them. According to (UNICEF, 2021), in Nigeria, domestic workers frequently experience low wages and limited legal protection. To copy with these low wages, many domestic workers engage in additional informal employment or rely on family support networks to meet their basic needs as the absence of comprehensive labour protections exacerbates their financial situations.

CONCLUSION

Domestic workers rely on debt, supplementary jobs, support from social networks, employer-provided accommodation and silence as key mechanisms to sustain their livelihoods. While these strategies help them manage financial difficulties. The findings underscore the need for policy reforms and institutional support to ensure fair wages and improved working conditions of domestic workers. Addressing these challenges require collaborative efforts from policymakers, labour organizations and employers to create sustainable solutions that enhance the financial stability and well-being of domestic workers.

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