From the Economic Policy Institute (http://www.epi.org/):
Domestic workers care for children, support older people and people with disabilities, and clean our homes. These workers are vital to our economy and provide critical quality-of-life supports for many Americans. But their compensation does not reflect the value of their work.
Many of these workers and their families suffer as a result. Domestic workers are in fact three times as likely to be living in poverty as other workers, as seen in the chart below.
EPI’s Domestic Workers Chartbook 2022 sheds light on who these workers are and how they are faring. Some key findings are:
The vast majority (90.2%) of domestic workers are women; just over half (51.3%) are Black, Hispanic, or Asian American and Pacific Islander women; and they tend to be older than other workers.
The typical domestic worker is paid $13.79 per hour, while median pay for other workers is $21.76 per hour. Even when compared with demographically similar workers, domestic workers receive on average only 75% of what their peers make
Fewer than 1 in 10 domestic workers are covered by an employer-provided retirement plan and fewer than 1 in 5 receive health insurance coverage through their job.
A critical first step to improving conditions for domestic workers is passing a national Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. Such legislation would greatly improve domestic workers’ financial security and ensure effective enforcement of their labor rights, protection under anti-discrimination laws, and the right to safe working conditions.
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