Saudis and domestic help — ‘maid’ for each other

THE presence of a housemaid in a Saudi house has become inevitable. If this inevitability is not because of her services, then it is because of the need to imitate others. This is a fact that everybody knows. The need for housemaids is connected to the ways Saudis live — women go to work, responsibilities for the social and educational welfare of children, men failing to help with house duties, few day-care facilities for children, large and spacious homes, extended families and increasing numbers of children. The net result is that the majority of families need to have housemaids. The truth of the matter is that some of us need more than one housemaid. The problem does not lie in hiring a housemaid, but in the problems these housemaids possibly bring to the home.

Some of these problems are difficult to deal with, especially when they relate to the murder or abuse of children. Some of these crimes, such as thefts and absconding maids, can be surpassed.

The problem of housemaids has increased tremendously. Even recruitment has become a problem for middle-income families, which constitute the majority of Saudi society.

I think it’s time to take institutional decisions to solve this problem. We can start by creating establishments to hire housemaids under the umbrella of the Ministry of Labor. This would definitely help reduce the constant need for maids. Secondly, we should establish more day-care facilities. These would be useful for mothers who would then not be forced to hire housemaids.

The chambers of commerce and the recruitment offices should play a bigger role in the protection of the rights of both employers and housemaids. Their mutual rights should be strictly preserved. We would not be doing this out of fear of human rights associations but out of commitment to our religion, which is a religion of justice and equality. Recruitment offices should not recruit untrained housemaids or those who are psychologically unqualified. I have seen some mentally retarded housemaids who were recruited. How did this happen? Moreover, the cost of importing a housemaid to our country is more expensive than other GCC countries. Why is that?

Generally, renting housemaids on an hourly basis would not solve the problem but could be part of a solution until we are able to outline definite solutions to the problems of spacious households, increasing number of children, lazy men, spoilt children and a lack of women taking part in housework.