This paper provides a broader overview of domestic service in India, outlining the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of the workforce. The definitional issues involved in understanding domestic work are discussed, with special reference to national classifications. The extant pattern of work relations in the occupation and the prominent role played by placement agencies are highlighted.

Through a detailed discussion of the evolving legal interventions and state level responses to this segment of workers, the paper also emphatically underlines the need for appropriate legal intervention to ensure fair work conditions and social security to this highly vulnerable and marginalised segment of the workforce.

Neetha N., The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Vol. 52, No. 3, 2009