Migration and Domestic Workers: Worlds of Work, Health and Mobility in Johannesburg

This 61-page document details a study examining the migrant and health experiences of domestic workers in Johannesburg, South Africa, as well as some of their points of vulnerability to HIV. In 2004, domestic work was the second largest sector of employment for black women in South Africa. And, as this study shows, a defining characteristic of domestic workers in Johannesburg is their status as migrant workers. To understand how these factors contribute to knowledge and behaviour related to safe sex, testing, and other elements shaping the spread of the virus, researchers from the Southern African Migration Project and the Southern African Research Centre carried out interviews with 1,100 female domestic workers employed in the City of Johannesburg. The study was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and the United Kingdom (UK) Department for International Development (DFID).

An excerpt from the Conclusion section follows:

"...First, the study demonstrates that migrancy is a defining feature of the lives of the majority of this cohort of domestic workers. It shapes their lives and relationship in many ways. Many, though they have lived in Johannesburg for a long time, and see it as a home, are constantly looking to a home elsewhere where their children, and sometimes their partners, live. Over 40% of the sample described themselves as single, widowed, divorced or separated (although this did not prevent them from having children and boyfriends). Further research is needed to understand whether being single provides an incentive for women to migrate for work...As migrant workers, many live in accommodation provided by their employers....While living with a partner does not prevent people from having multiple relationships, it does reduce the likelihood.

Second, working conditions are hard. The women work long hours and long working weeks for low pay....Most only have access to one room, and the majority of those who live off their employers property are living in shacks....While none of this necessarily increases their vulnerability to HIV infection, low incomes and poor living conditions do have implications for people who are living with the virus as these conditions may compromise their health status. Working and living conditions, particularly for those that live-in, appear to provide some protection to domestic workers as they limit their opportunities to socialise with friends and meet new partners....[T]he majority of this cohort of workers spend most of their few leisure hours alone watching television and listening to the radio.

Third, the study shows, contrary to our original expectations, that the majority of these women, whatever their migrant and national status, do not have problems accessing health services...

Fourth, despite their use of health services, the majority of these women do not appear to be protecting themselves from HIV infection. A defining characteristic of this group is the lack of condom use. Over 60% of the sample had never used a condom in their lives. Also disturbing is that the majority of those who used condoms used them irregularly with only a fifth of condom users saying they used condoms all the time when they had sex...

Fifth, this cohort of women workers do not seem to be being reached by health promotion campaigns, or they are just not listening....[A]lmost a third were unable to describe how to have safe sex and only 11% thought they might have been infected....[O]nly 16% knew about anti-retroviral therapy....Less than a third had been tested for HIV and only twenty-six women in the sample had tested positive...

Sixth, low levels of knowledge and condom use are inconsistent with the experiences of these women with the virus. Many have been touched by HIV/AIDS in their lives...

...Unlike many other migrant workers, it seems that the live-in status of many migrant domestic workers, and their working conditions, may mean that their opportunities to become infected by the virus could be less than their non-migrant counterparts....[C]onversely, their migrant status, separation from partners, and for many, restrictions on when and where they can see their partners and boyfriends may make them more vulnerable....The majority of these women look to television and listen to the radio to get information. The majority attend health services at some point during the year. Therefore, it seems that this cohort of women workers in Johannesburg are not being reached by health promotion campaigns relating to HIV/AIDS education, prevention and treatment. And, it may be that their isolation, socio-economic circumstances and the lack of power in their working lives affects their ability and willingness to act on the information they have."