Exploring the Lived Experiences of Female Domestic Workers in Islamabad, Pakistan: A Phenomenological Study/

Abstract

Based on the constructivist epistemological standpoint and qualitative research design, the present study explores the lived experiences of housemaids regarding their workplace in Islamabad. The population of this study comprised household domestic workers working in Islamabad. For this study, purposive and snowball sampling techniques have been used to select respondents for in-depth interviews. This study was conducted utilizing the phenomenological approach as a methodological framework. Nancy Fraser’s Theory of Social Justice in her Framework of Perspectival Dualism is used to understand obstacles in the lived experiences of female domestic workers. Interviews have been used as a data collection tool. The in-depth interviews and field observations enabled the principal researcher to draw new themes and inferences. Data for this study was collected till the saturation point. Hence, twenty interviews were conducted with the domestic workers. The data was analyzed by employing a thematic analysis technique. The findings were concluded based on the themes and sub-themes derived from the data collected through thematic analysis. The results revealed the emergence of violence in several forms: sexual violence, physical violence, psychological violence, and economic violence. The findings indicate that economic violence emerged as the most prevalent form of violence observed through data analysis. Lack of familial and peer support, government’s efficiency, the control of employers through manipulation, conditional care, and limited agency, economic strain, the embedded social stigma that domestic workers discern as a crucial element, their growing aversion towards their profession, and maladaptive survival mechanisms surfaced as major obstacles. Implementation of the current legislation and curation of a separate policy for live-out domestic workers that surmises a fixed wage rate is a necessary measure that needs to be adopted at the earliest. Additionally, a robust inspection mechanism with regular monitoring must be introduced for the protection of the domestic workers along with public awareness programs are some policy recommendations that the sitting government should consider without delay.