An explanatory case study of Nigerian female domestic workers perspectives on coping strategies as live-in employees: towards decolonial reflections.

Abstract

In Nigeria and many other countries, the continuous employment of women as domestic workers is a widespread phenomenon. This practice, among other factors, contributes to the stratification of the economy and to the division of labour characterized by the oppression of women. Nigeria has a large domestic sector that is dominated by women, with workers often demeaned as housemaids or house helpers. In the domestic sector, these workers are subjected to exploitation, abuse, and violence in the homes of their employers, and they are also forced to adapt or adjust to the challenges they face daily. The abuse and maltreatment of women domestic workers in Nigeria has been extensively studied empirically, however, there has been little research on the coping strategies these women use, especially in a decolonial context. This study adopted a qualitative research design with semi-structured interviews to explore the coping strategies adopted by female live-in domestic workers. Twenty live-in female domestic workers participated in the study. The research incorporated three theoretical frameworks: Coping Theory, Intersectionality, and African Feminism. Building on these theories, the study argues that African women across various cultures employ diverse strategies and initiatives to navigate and negotiate their roles with employers. The strategies they employ are often derived from what they perceive to be life lessons, which they have acquired because of negotiating several other spaces as women within a highly patriarchal society. The findings revealed that patience, wisdom, perseverance, social interaction, telling jokes, cultural practices, the use of waist beads, conflict resolution, and spirituality were among the adaptive resilience strategies used by these workers. Nonetheless, the study shows that coping strategies grounded in a decolonial perspective enable women to utilize their indigenous knowledge to negotiate duties and overcome challenges as domestic workers. This research discussed how these coping strategies are employed by female live-in employees when faced with adversity. Furthermore, the study suggests that the well-being of female live-in domestic workers should be prioritized, and that employers should be thoroughly vetted and evaluated before hiring domestic workers. Failing to manage the abuse of female live-in domestic workers undermines their well-being and perpetuates exploitation. Despite their resilience and coping strategies, unchecked abuse can lead to severe physical and mental health issues, perpetuating cycles of poverty and vulnerability.