A maid’s day off can strengthen the family bond

A campaign in Singapore may have some resonance in the UAE, writes Ayesha AlMazroui.

Screen grab from the video Mums and Maids. (YouTube)

Working mothers are among those most affected by the hectic pace of modern life. They are expected to juggle everything: from work, to personal and social lives, to taking care of their children and meeting their family’s needs. Many of them rely on full-time domestic staff for help – and end up spending less and less time with their young children.

A recent campaign in Singapore, "I Give A Day Off", tackled this issue by posing an important question for mothers: Does your maid or nanny know your child better than you do?

The behavioural change campaign was initiated by Transient Workers Count Too, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving conditions for low-wage foreign domestic workers in Singapore.

It featured a video, titled Mums and Maids, in which mothers and domestic staff were quizzed about the interests of the young children in the family: their dream job, their favourite subject in school, their best friend's name and what they do when they have nightmares. While the maids answered the questions correctly, many mums were fumbling for answers. According to the video, 74 per cent of maids had more accurate answers than mothers.

The campaign drew a link between the parent-child bond and domestic workers’ right to have a day off. The aim was to underline the idea that a weekly day off for nannies and maids would give parents a better chance to bond with their children.

The campaign has generated considerable debate online in the past week, with some viewing it as “provocative” or “insensitive towards mothers”. However, it succeeded in calling attention to the plight of domestic staff who can work for months or years with no rest days.

Despite the fact that Singapore has a law entitling domestic workers to a weekly day off, the Humanitarian Organisation for Migration Economics estimates that 40 per cent of them are not granted this right.

In the UAE, the situation is not very different from Singapore. Families hugely depend on domestic staff to take care of young children.

At least 146,000 female domestic workers are employed. While some families do hire skilled nannies, many just rely on maids to look after their children. Domestic staff may be legally entitled to a weekly day off but may be unable to insist on it. Domestic staff are excluded from UAE labour law due to the sponsorship (kafala) system and their unique live-in arrangement. One can only guess how many families grant their staff daily and weekly rest periods.

Many of us have heard stories of maids working long hours – up to 18 hours per day in extreme cases – and being required to fulfil multiple duties, such as cleaning and cooking, in addition to caring for children.

Last year, the Ministry of Interior introduced a new standard work contract to guarantee the rights of both domestic workers and their employers. Though the contract specifies working hours, it does leave some room for these and days off to be negotiated between the two parties.

In most cases, these workers are unskilled and poorly educated, and come from low-income countries. Many of them would agree to any option presented to them. The absence of strong legal protection leaves them vulnerable to abuse.

That’s where the “I Give A Day Off” campaign could come in. It makes the case for giving staff a day off by proposing that the parent-child bond might be strengthened in that way and that participating in domestic duties could help family members come together.

Unfortunately, many parents who spend almost no time with their children do not consider the consequences this could have on their child’s psychological development. Young children need direct parental influence; they need daily interaction, emotional identification and the feeling of belonging to a family unit. These simple activities can have a long-lasting effect on children’s intellectual development and character traits.

For this country, parental contact is critical if children are to become proficient in the Arabic language. Parental support of language development at an early age – even by simple daily interaction – augments school lessons by providing children with an advanced vocabulary.

Parents have to keep in mind the huge responsibility involved in having and raising children. They should also realise the importance of granting domestic workers their right to some time off.

On Twiter: @AyeshaAlmazroui