Publications on domestic work

  1. Publication

    Tracer Study - PARAGUAY

    16 July 2012

    This report describes the research carried out in Paraguay following the methodology of tracer study. The research aimed to study the impact occurred in the life of former child beneficiaries of actions programmes implemented by IPEC projects in domestic labour and commercial sexual exploitation sectors.

  2. Domestic workers

    Decent work for domestic workers in Asia and the Pacific: Manual for trainers

    27 June 2012

    Invisible and undervalued no more! Domestic work is now recognized as a true occupation and domestic workers have the right to decent work, respect and dignity just like all other workers. These principles are now enshrined in international labour standards aimed at improving the working and living conditions of the millions of workers - many of them women and girls, and often migrants - caring for the families and households of others.

  3. International Labour Review, Vol. 150 (2011), No. 3–4

    New ILO standards on decent work for domestic workers: A summary of the issues and discussions

    24 February 2012

    The world’s millions of domestic workers are mostly excluded from national labour laws because they work in private homes, in employment relationships with special characteristics. They are highly vulnerable to exploitation and abuse – often overworked, underpaid and subjected to violence. Adopted in June 2011, the ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), and its accompanying Recommendation (No. 201) embody the resolve of governments and workers’ and employers’ organizations worldwide to remedy this situation. The authors of this paper, who were closely associated with the preparations and tripartite negotiations that led to the adoption of these instruments, review their contents and highlights of the underlying debates.

  4. Publication

    Country profile: domestic work legislation in Spain

    24 February 2012

    The Government of Spain recently promulgated Royal Decree 1620/2011 of 14 November, regulating the special relationship that characterizes service within the family household.

  5. An explanatory brochure

    Convention 189 & Recommendation 201 at a glance

    15 December 2011

    Highlights of the provisions of the Domestic Workers Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201. These new standards, adopted in June 2011, are a strong recognition of the economic and social value of domestic work and a call for action to address the existing exclusions of domestic workers from labour and social protection. Given that most domestic workers are women, the new standards are an important step to advance gender equality in the world of work and ensure women’s equal rights and protection under the law.

  6. Publication

    Convention 189 & Recommendation 201 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers

    15 November 2011

    This booklet presents a set of new international labour standards – Convention No. 189 and Recommendation No. 201 concerning decent work for domestic workers - adopted on 16 June 2011 by the ILO’s International Labour Conference.

  7. Publication

    Fact sheet on Domestic Workers' profile and working conditions in the Philippines

    08 November 2011

    This factsheet presents the profile of domestic workers and their employers in the Philippines, and provides an insight into two important aspects of domestic work, namely wages and working hours.

  8. Publication

    Fact sheet on Domestic workers in Asia and the Pacific

    01 November 2011

    Work in households and homes is as old as time, vital for the well-being of families, communities and societies at large. Traditionally done by women and girls without pay, domestic work is often not perceived as “real employment”. Some argue that women’s contribution to the home and general social good is immeasurable, and so precious that any effort to add a price tag only demeans their contribution. This genderbiased argument has resulted in the effective, systematic, marginalization and undervaluation of domestic work.

  9. Publication

    Convention No. 189 - Questions and answers

    10 August 2011

    This short factsheet will help you understand what Convention No. 189 is, who it covers, and what minimum standards it sets.

  10. Publication

    Recognition for India’s invisible workers

    01 August 2011

    For various reasons, official statistics tend to undercount domestic workers. The case of India is particularly striking given the magnitude of the difference: estimates of the number of domestic workers in this country range between 2.5 and 90 million.