Hesperian Health Guides
Workers in the Informal Sector
Many people earn money working at tasksâlike selling in the marketplace, making home crafts, and cleaning housesâthat are not considered formal jobs. These jobs have very few protections, so these workers are at greater risk for being exploited and abused.
Washer-womanâs hands
Domestic workers
Domestic workers face many of the same health problems already described in this chapter. Working in someone elseâs home, they have few rights and little protection. They face:
- exhaustion and poor nutrition from long hours and poor pay. Even though cooking may be part of their job, they are often given little to eat.
- constant fear of losing their jobs and of being mistrusted by their employers. They are often fired when they become pregnant. These fears, and the separation from friends and family, can cause mental health problems.
- sexual harassment, especially when living in the employerâs house. Having sex may be a condition for staying employed.
- painful bone, joint, and muscle problems from washing clothes and scrubbing floors for long periods (âhousemaidâs kneeâ).
When you use a lot of cleaning chemicals without wearing gloves, your skin may become red, cracked, and painful, and develop open sores. The nails often get thick and damaged and separate from the skin underneath.
What to do:
- If possible, use rubber or plastic gloves to protect your hands.
- Keep your hands as dry as you can. Use lotion or the thick juice from an aloe plant after you finish working. If your nails begin to look thick or damaged, try soaking them weekly for 20 minutes in olive oil or another vegetable oil.
- Use the juices of fresh plants that are known in your area for helping skin problems like rashes, burns, or itching. Gather and wash fresh plants, and grind them into a watery paste. Put your hands in this mixture as often as you can.
- Try to use cleaning products that contain no or fewer chemicals. (See Hesperianâs Community Guide to Environmental Health for how to make safer cleaning products.)
This page was updated:13 Nov 2023