I came to the US from Costa Rica on a student visa. It’s customary in Costa Rica to have a maid. We had a lady working in the house, who helped to clean and cook. My mother said: “You better learn from her because it may not always be like this.” My mother was always traveling for work, so everything …

My mom was a very kind person. She cared about everyone, and she cared for everyone. Although she didn’t work outside the home in a paying job, she worked! She was social director for the church, she brought up kids and cared for us, she and my dad entertained a lot at the house, and she looked after her sister, …

Household work is one of those things that’s just a part of everyone’s life. Some are clean. Others are messy. And people have both different amounts of things that must be cleaned and different levels of responsibility and support. This can make a world of a difference.   I’m very fortunate that I have a nice house, with a lot …

What is your connection to the domestic work? My mother is a domestic worker. I used to help her cleaning houses when I was in Middle School. In High School I worked as a housekeeper and in college I used to tutor English to the housekeeping department in a hotel to help women become eligible for promotions. I have mixed …

I worked as a household worker for about 5 years but because of health issues I had to stop working. I like doing household work because I know how to do it, and it is a daily task for me, either at a clients home or my own. I do not like that I was not being paid well enough …

I am a household worker, I think it’s a good way to stay employed and earn a living. It’s what I have for now, and I do my best in order to continue supporting my family financially. When the circumstances are humane, I like everything about household work: The pleasure I have helping someone else go on with their everyday …

When I was a girl, the first thing my mother taught us was that the house had to be clean. I liked that because we always had the kitchen well cleaned and the rooms well arranged. I come from a very humble family. My father was a quiet military man who told us that women existed to care for the …

As women we are taught to take care of our homes from a young age. Professionally this means I am an expert in all areas of domestic and care work. The problem is that working as a live in domestic worker means that you have more responsibilities without an increase in wages. Employers take advantage of the intimate nature of …

I have a real knack for helping others, I’ve trained myself to listen to people when they articulate their concerns and voice their fears. I think this is important because I’ve been a care worker for 10 years and taken on many roles during that time, I love taking care of people. In the past I’ve fed and cared for …

As a Latina, I grew up hearing that house work was a woman’s responsibility. I had to constantly fight the cultural expectation of taking on all of the work and pushed back so that my brothers also contributed to our household. Now, as a young professional who balances a full-time job and school work, it’s difficult for me to keep …

My connection to domestic work began when my mom came to the U.S. from Peru on a B-1 Visa. A B-1 visa is a special visa given to domestic workers who are accompanying or following an employer into the U.S.. My mom spent her first year as a live in worker until she was able to bring me here to …

I am currently a household worker and I fell upon this type of labor because I lack fluency in English. There is not much to like about something you did not choose to do. I especially don’t like the repetitive aspect of housework. Of course, it’s always rewarding to contemplate a job well done, and to see that you are …