Minimum Wage and Socio-Economic Status of Domestic Workers in Urban Hyderabad

Abstract

Socio-economic characteristics reflect the living standard of the peoples and education has significant impact on the development of peoples’ socio-economic status in a society. In Pakistan illiterate or less educated human recourse (i.e. below secondary stage) actively contributing into various formal and informal sectors of economy but due to lack of education they are not able to work at better employment positions and their socio-economic status seems to be unsatisfactory. Domestic servants (who are working as helping hands in home maintaining activities) are working long hours but they are receiving lower wage (i.e. less than minimum wage) and remain poor. At policy level Government of Pakistan took initiatives to upgrade the socio-economic status of lower working class but often they remain unaware about their basic rights. On other side, to ensure payment of minimum wage, health arrangements and access to social security Government of Pakistan has not took proper initiative with special focus on domestic workers, who employed in private households. Hyderabad is the second most urbanized city of Sindh province of Pakistan. In this province thousands of workers provide their services as domestic workers. The objective this research paper is to empirically analyze the trend of minimum wage is Pakistan and to investigate extend at which domestic servants in urban Hyderabad are aware about their basic rights. The paper also examines the level at which lack of education effects socio-economic status of lower working class in Pakistan.

Keywords: Minimum Wage, Socio-Economic Status, Education, Domestic Labor