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 to be cleaned up. I try to be orderly, but I’m kinda messy. It's very hard for me to make choices about what I don't need, especially when it comes to paper. I’m married, and my husband and I share in the house work. He does different things, sometimes not as much as I would like, but he is helpful. Perhaps one reason that I really like making order out of chaos-is because I am a little messy usually. Then, when I get all the surfaces clean, clear away the clutter, and make my home beautiful, it gives me great satisfaction.
Cooking is a household task that I enjoy. I enjoy cooking from scratch but I’ll gladly be the sous chef when other people are more creative.
When I was growing up in the United States, we had somebody who would come and help my mother clean about once a week. We later lived in South America, where it was more routine for middle class families to have full time help. There, my mother was able to have more support in the home.
As an adult, I’ve had someone help in my home since my children were very small. This is luxury that I’m truly grateful for. So my relationship with domestic workers has varied throughout my life, and I've always felt that people that work for me are like partners. We try to be good to each other, and paying fair wages for the work is an important way that I demonstrate my appreciation.
Domestic workers should really be more organized so that they can win more respect for their rights. There are roughly a hundred thousand household workers in Miami-Dade County. I think it also would be great to have an organized method so that they can purchase reasonably priced health insurance as a group.
As a commissioner, I helped start an annual review of women’s economic status. The County’s Women’s Commission prepares the report, and the recommendations tackle big issues like human trafficking, wage theft, and the need for pay equity. Supporting this report and trying to improve our County’s programs to help working women is another way I show respect for domestic workers, and everyone can contribute their ideas and help get these recommendations made into law.