Domestic workers are people who are brought to the household to perform tasks that are necessary for the maintenance of the house. This work may include house cleaning, cooking, laundering of clothes, and/or taking care of children in the house; it can be outdoor or indoor labor and can include manual labor and emotional psychological work. 

Historically, much of this work was done by slaves or indentured servants, today in the United States, however, such people are hired household workers who receive wages for their work.  Though they are now paid for their work, the concept of modern domestic work is still very much reflective of institutionalized slavery – immigrants (primarily immigrant women of color) performing household chores.  

During the nineteenth century domestic work was the largest occupational group of all employed American women. In the 1870 census, 52% of women listed domestic work as their occupation.  This number has decreased since then, as more women went into other professions. Native born and immigrant white women began to leave the field of domestic work and began working in factories, retail, and service sectors.  Race discrimination prevented women of color from getting almost all other jobs except housework.  By the 1940s, black women were the majority of domestic workers.  This continued to be the case until the Civil Rights Movement took place and people of color began to have more opportunities for jobs.  It was then that the number of African American women domestic workers began to decline.

The domestic work industry is a difficult one to regulate due to its informal structure and it is fairly easy to exploit the workers.  Domestic workers continue to receive low wages, work long hours, and work in abusive working conditions.  Consistent with historic patterns, the domestic work industry grows when the economic gap increases and other available jobs become harder to find.  No different than in the past, gender, race, and immigration all play important roles in domestic work.  What has changed is which ethnic groups are filling these positions.  These positions are now filled by women who personify subordinate status both racially and as immigrants.

Domestic workers continue to immigrate in search of employment while their families rely on their labor for survival.  This labor will continue to be a necessity in order for professionals to keep working and still maintain their households.  Domestic workers continue to face abuse on the job on a daily basis.  It is crucial for formal recognition to be established and for basic standards to be set in order to move the industry away from any resemblance to slavery.  Domestic workers are essential to the New York City economy as their labor allows their employers to participate fully in positions that determine the city’s leadership role in the global economy.  Domestic workers allow for their employers to increase their income, which in turn, increases the spending on consumer goods and expands the economy.  This, and nurturing the children they care for, domestic workers are fostering the future workforce.