The rights of migrant domestic workers in the Netherlands

Dr Karin Astrid Siegmann in conversation with Ismi Nabila, Ivy Hatmanti and Kustia Wulaningsih (Wulan) who are taking her course on ‘Gender at work in development’.

Karin (KAS): A very warm welcome. Thanks for agreeing to have this conversation on the event we held at ISS called ‘It takes two to tango’ on migrant domestic workers’ rights and good employership.

Ismi (IN): Why was the event called it takes two to tango?

KAS: This English expression suggests that you cannot achieve anything on your own. You need a partner and that’s what migrant domestic workers have experienced – they need the support of their employers to realize their rights and they need a partner to actually implement those rights.

Ivy (IH): I’m curious about the employers; do they also support domestic workers’ rights?

KAS: The short answer is no, although some employers do. For example, some of the people who co-organized the event are members of migrant organizations which are raising awareness about migrant domestic workers’ rights. But what the migrant domestic workers who co-organized the event want is that more employers become aware that these rights are independent of whether or not there’s a contract, of whether or not people are working casually or full-time, of whether workers are undocumented or regular migrants. We had hoped to have employers at the event but there were hardly any in the room. Later, some people told me that they employed domestic workers but that they hadn’t felt safe sharing that.

Wulan (KW): Maybe the space didn’t feel safe enough. We need to think about how to organize events that will make encourage others to do the same. employers more open to sharing their side of the discussion.

IH: I’ve read a lot about domestic workers in Indonesia and how their rights are so different from the rights of domestic workers in the Netherlands. Despite some similarities, domestic workers in the Netherlands have more privileges than those in Indonesia, with people wanting to support them. In Indonesia, even the government doesn’t want to support domestic workers and many employers are abusive.

KW: What surprises me is how domestic workers are harassed when they try to work. I remember an Indonesian migrant worker telling us during the ISS event that she faced harassment. I realized how vulnerable being a domestic worker, especially for women, is here.

IN: It’s sad to reflect that the current situation is not very different from what happened in the past. If we look at the historical context of domestic workers when the Dutch were in Indonesia, we see that they also used to hire indigenous people in their home. And we see a clear division of labour – there’s European, then Arab and Chinese and then Pribumi – the indigenous population – as the lowest level of society. The situation hasn’t changed much.

IH: It’s very challenging to invite an employer to talk about how they treat their domestic workers because they may also feel guilty.

KAS: I liked the idea proposed by Leontine Bijleveld during the event, namely, to feature role models; people who are good employers and who can

KAS: I hear this from many parts of the world; how the relationships between domestic workers and their employers are still structured by systems shaped through colonial rule. You see how this heritage still structures working conditions and feelings of ‘ownership’.

IH: I feel like we still see domestic workers as people who are below us. There’s still a long way to go to raise awareness about how we should treat domestic workers, to realise that domestic work is a real job.

KW: Yes, we need to change how we think of productive and reproductive work because domestic work is very close to reproductive work. Without domestic workers the economy and society would fail because, for example, there would be no one to take care of children. We need to change how we look at reproductive work and to value domestic work.

KAS: The question remains, how to achieve that. We’ve had an international convention for over 10 years which recognizes domestic workers, gives them rights, but their material conditions haven’t changed much. There’s an increasing demand for domestic work and it’s very often dumped on migrants who are seen as more docile and cheaper. So demand is increasing, and maybe at the level of political discourses we see demands for more rights and respect, but I’m a bit pessimistic about actual change.

IH: At the same time, I feel there is hope for the younger generation. For example, I now realize that domestic workers have rights, they’re doing a real job. And I now reflect on how I can contribute to changing people’s view of domestic work. It’s important to see domestic workers as a workforce and as equal. I don’t know whether we can change the law but at least we can change people’s perspective to see domestic work as a job.

IN: I agree, we have to keep raising awareness about how important they are to the national economy. For example, I read a study that said that, because of migrant domestic workers, women’s participation in the labour force is increasing.

KW: I think this is related to the notion of gender justice, where redistribution will follow recognition. I think that by raising awareness and recognition they will also get better material conditions for their work.

KAS: Thanks for those optimistic outlooks. There are a couple of events planned in the week against human trafficking in July, and the organizers want to follow up on the conversation that we had at ISS. It’s funded by the municipality of The Hague, so there’ll be a broader audience. That may be something you want to get involved in, so let’s see.

Development and Change

Development and Change is an interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal devoted to the critical analysis and discussion of current issues of development. It was established by the ISS in 1969, in response to the perceived need for a multidisciplinary journal dealing with all aspects of development studies.

Volume 54, Number 2, March 2023

Compelled to Compete: Rendering Climate Change Vulnerability Investable Kimberley Anh Thomas

New Multilateral Development Banks and Green Lending: Approaching Scalar Complexities in the Global South Ali Rıza Güngen

‘Fundermediaries’ in Nairobi, Kenya: Development Partnerships in the Aid Chain Lise Woensdregt, Lorraine Nencel

Financial Globalization, Local Debt Markets and New State Financial Activism in Middle-income Countries Louis O’Sullivan, Lena Rethel

Municipal Councillors and the Everyday State: New Representations of Political Accountability in Ahmedabad, India Rusha Das, Christine Lutringer

Theorizing Power in Community Economies: A Women’s Cooperative in Northern Kurdistan Kaner Atakan Turker

Revisiting the Natural Resource Curse: Backward Linkages for Export Diversification and Structural Economic Transformation Maria Savona, Filippo Bontadini

China’s Market Reform Debate Lin Chun

How Far Does the Diverse Economies Approach

Take Us? Georgina M. Gómez

In Cold Blood at Cambridge James K. Galbraith

Working Papers

The ISS Working Paper series provides a forum for work in progress which seeks to elicit comments and generate discussion. The series includes academic research by staff, PhD participants and visiting fellows, and award-winning research papers by graduate students.

The inconsistency of EU sanctions in Sub-Saharan Africa. Hypocrisy or careful policy making? A systematic literature review Brehl, N.A. Working Paper Series 713.

Transitions: young children’s lived experiences of early learning and childcare from Covid-19 lockdowns to the present Gupta, A. (MA Research Paper Award 2021-2022) Working Paper Series 712.

Migrant labor market policies in the EU: an exploration of the trends and relationship with migrant labor market outcomes Mayo, A., (Jos Mooij Research Paper Award winner 2021-2022) Working Paper Series 711.

Son buenos para imponer sus leyes acá”: Aymara experiences and negotiations to recent migration and securitization dynamics in the Chilean border communities of Colchane and Pisiga Carpa van Iersel, M.M., Working Paper Series 710.

“When someone gets sick, we run to them, not from them”: Holding space for solidarity otherwise and the city in times of COVID-19 Cairo, A., Gronemeier, L-M., Icaza Garza, R., Salim, U., Thrivikraman, J. K. & Mattar, D. V., Working Paper Series 709.

Navigating change in international development using innovation: the case of national NGO platforms in Brazil and the Netherlands Santos de Almeida Silva, A., Biekart, K. & Mah, L., Working Paper Series 708.

Do islands trade more or less? A meta-analysis of findings from gravity models Langat, E. K., Itumoh, E. M., Demena, B. A. & van Bergeijk, P., Working Paper Series 707.

War, sanctions, peace? van Bergeijk, P., Working Paper Series 706.