{"id":12053,"date":"2020-08-28T07:51:54","date_gmt":"2020-08-27T23:51:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/domestic-workers-life-conditions-survey-2017\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T04:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-02T20:12:34","slug":"domestic-workers-life-conditions-survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/domestic-workers-life-conditions-survey\/","title":{"rendered":"Survey Results \u2013 Live My Life as a Domestic Worker: 38% of Domestic Workers\u2019 Employers Judged Disrespectful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>Updated 02 February 2026<\/em><\/p><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_81 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/domestic-workers-life-conditions-survey\/#What_Employers_Can_Take_Away\" >What Employers Can Take Away<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/domestic-workers-life-conditions-survey\/#Final_Thoughts\" >Final Thoughts<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"550\" src=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/Survey-Results-\u2013-Live-My-Life-as-a-Domestic-Worker-38-of-Domestic-Workers-Employers-Judged-Disrespectful.png\" alt=\"Survey results \u2013 live my life as a domestic worker 38% of domestic workers\u2019 employers judged disrespectful\" class=\"wp-image-15281\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/domestic-helpers\/hong-kong\">HelperChoice<\/a>, the leading platform connecting employers and domestic workers conducted a survey from October 9th until October 17th, 2017 in the Middle East, Hong Kong and Singapore to get more information about how domestic workers are living their lives. 245 domestic workers participated to the survey and the results are startling: 38% of the domestic workers feel that their employer is not respectful.<\/p>\n<p>Domestic workers\u2019 main duties are to do the housework (mentioned by 91% of the interviewees) and cooking (78%) but most of them are also taking care of children (52%) and newborn\/toddlers (27%). Several domestic workers reported that they are ill-treated by the children, directly or indirectly: they lose credibility when their employer put into question their way of doing in front of the children and the later are taking advantage of this situation; some housemaids are admonished because of the children\u2019s behaviours or are held responsible in case the children complain to their parents. Less than a quarter of the domestic workers are taking care of pets but bites from dogs are unfortunately quite common among pet sitters.<\/p>\n<p>About 47% of the domestic workers can enjoy a single room but 9% reported that they have to sleep in common areas like the living room. About 40% have to share the room with another helper or with a member of the family (baby, elderly person\u2026). As a result, several interviewed helpers mentioned that they really suffer from the lack of privacy, and even with their own room the employers are sometimes requiring them to let the door unlocked so that they can enter when they wish.<\/p>\n<p>32% of the interviewees think that their employer is not respectful. They mention different reasons but a lot of them were hurt because they were shouted and yelled at, often in public spaces. Others reported that their employers asked her to work very long hours and even asked additional household chores for friends or relatives (like going to the grocery for 3 families, washing the car of the grand-mother who is visiting or even wash closes of relatives while they are having dinner).<\/p>\n<p>Moreover, one if the striking findings of this survey is the important number of domestic workers who are suffering from not having enough food or bad-quality food: 10% of the helpers say that they are hungry because of the quantity they were allowed to eat. Two helpers reported a big decrease in their weight, one going from 60kg to 47kg in 6 months and another from 56kg to 37kg in one year. Others reported that they were only allowed to eat the leftovers or they have to eat food that have passed their expiry days.<\/p>\n<p>When asked to tell us their best or worst memories, 61% of the domestic workers chose to discuss about their worst memories against 12% their best one. It comes out that their best memory is most of the time when their employer considers her as a member of the family, giving her compliments about the way they cook or when they get recognition of the hard work that is done. On the contrary, the worst memories are often related to their employers scolding them or threatening them (to break their contract, to discard their personal belongings, to make them pay for an item etc.).<\/p>\n<p>Last but not least, the survey shows that very few employers are concerned about the upskilling of their domestic workers: 89% of the helpers never got any training apart from the one received in their home country (if any), while 7% are trained once a year or more. Over the 11% of the trained helpers, 57% attend cooking classes and 32% participate to first-aid trainings. Some also reported trainings in child care or elderly care, in financial management, trainings to learn a foreign language, do the housekeeping\u2026 but also music classes!<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"4442\" data-end=\"4473\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_Employers_Can_Take_Away\"><\/span>What Employers Can Take Away<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4475\" data-end=\"4651\">Domestic workers are more than household support staff\u2014they are individuals with aspirations, responsibilities, and emotional needs. The survey suggests that most helpers want:<\/p>\n<ul data-start=\"4652\" data-end=\"4767\">\n<li data-start=\"4652\" data-end=\"4681\">\n<p data-start=\"4654\" data-end=\"4681\">Respect and understanding<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4682\" data-end=\"4704\">\n<p data-start=\"4684\" data-end=\"4704\">Clear expectations<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4705\" data-end=\"4735\">\n<p data-start=\"4707\" data-end=\"4735\">Privacy and personal space<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li data-start=\"4736\" data-end=\"4767\">\n<p data-start=\"4738\" data-end=\"4767\">Fair treatment and timely pay<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"4769\" data-end=\"4918\">As an employer, approaching the helper-employer relationship with empathy and clarity makes daily life smoother and more fulfilling for both parties.<\/p>\n<h2 data-start=\"4925\" data-end=\"4942\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Final_Thoughts\"><\/span>Final Thoughts<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4944\" data-end=\"5202\">The survey offers valuable insights into the challenges and opportunities facing domestic workers in Hong Kong. By listening, communicating clearly, and treating helpers with respect and fairness, employers contribute to healthier, happier home environments.<\/p>\n<p data-start=\"5204\" data-end=\"5449\">HelperChoice encourages employers to use these insights not just as statistics, but as guidance for building stronger, more supportive partnerships at home. Better understanding today leads to stronger, longer-lasting relationships tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Updated 02 February 2026 HelperChoice, the leading platform connecting employers and domestic workers conducted a survey from October 9th until October 17th, 2017 in the Middle East, Hong Kong and Singapore to get more information about how domestic workers are living their lives. 245 domestic workers participated to the survey and the results are startling: [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":12054,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"description":"Survey reveals domestic workers\u2019 life and work conditions in Hong Kong, highlighting workload, privacy, pay, wellbeing, and employer-helper communication.","title":"Survey Results \u2013 Live My Life as a Domestic Worker: 38% of Domestic Workers\u2019 Employers Judged Disrespectful - HelperChoice Blog"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12053","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-reports"],"blocksy_meta":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/7c4f91bc-d487-4b04-afae-1df672860199-helperchoicelifeconditionssurvey-2017.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12053","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12053"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12053\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15282,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12053\/revisions\/15282"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12054"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12053"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12053"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.helperchoice.com\/c\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12053"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}