Discrimination and mental health of female migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong

What is it about?

Migrant domestic workers (MDW) are a largely female workforce who work inside the homes of their employer. They also often must live in their employer's home which decreases their visibility in society and may increase their vulnerability to abuse, overwork, and discrimination. In this paper, first we looked at whether MDWs who perceived to face discrimination more frequently based on their employment status also had increased rates of poor mental health. We found higher reported discrimination increased the chance of having probable anxiety and depression. Second, we conducted interviews to better understand how MDWs perceived discrimination and found that discrimination occurred both inside and outside of the workplace. Workplace discrimination came from feeling overworked, being dehumanized, and being treated unequally during the COVID-19 pandemic. Outside of the workplace, MDWs reported being distanced and isolated from others in public spaces and being specifically targeted by COVID-19 pandemic prevention measures as discriminatory.

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Photo by CDC on Unsplash