Care workers need caring

A recent charity event called for wider attention to the growing population of rural women working as domestic workers in the city and their problems.

The event, named “Mother and Children Heart to Heart, Fulfilling Dreams in Beijing” was organized by the Beijing Cultural Development Center for Rural Women, a charity organization that provides services to rural women working in the city.

China’s social and economic development, as well as aging urban population, have led to a boom in the domestic services industry.

Cities in need of domestic services workers are attracting more and more rural women to join the so-called migrant workers and take up domestic jobs.

Though female domestic workers earn relatively higher salaries in cities than on farms, they still face a lot of challenges, such as long working hours, no social insurance and no guarantees of privacy, according to Xie Lihua, president of the organization.

“Most domestic workers are females, who play a multiple role of a wife, mother and daughter at home. While they are looking after their employers’ children, their own children are often left behind unattended,” Xie said.

According to Wu Xinping, vice head of the children’s work department under the All-China Women's Federation, there are around 580 million stay-at-home children as of 2008.

They face problems like insufficient parental care and improper education, which affect the forming of their values and outlook on life, Wu said.

Due to their jobs, domestic workers’ duties as mothers are often neglected, and how to improve the ties between them and their children has been a practical problem, Xie said.

“The usual reason for them to take up jobs in the city is to better provide for their families and give a better education for their children,” Xie said.

“However, instead of earning their children’s gratitude, they sometimes receive resentment and misunderstanding.”

Meanwhile, domestic services are sometimes regarded as indecent works in China. Few women workers are willing to talk about the conditions and nature of their works with their families, especially their children, for fear of hurting their feelings, Xie said.

“But that will further estrange them and hurt their relationship,” Xie said. “That is part of the reason why we host such an event.”

A dozen female domestic workers joined their three-day event. And 12 children from six provinces between the ages of 10 and 15 have been invited to meet their mothers in Beijing.

Besides a tour of the capital, the organizers formed a volunteers’ team whose members include professional psychology experts to provide advice to parents and children on their relationships.

“We intend to strengthen mother-child ties through close interactions, and let the children know more about their mothers’ work during the journey so that they can appreciate their work and devotion for the family,” said Zhang Yan, a staff member who organized the event.

The organizers also want the mothers to feel the warmth of their families.

“We also want to draw more attention from society and pay more attention to the domestic workers’ emotional needs,” Zhang said.