Domestic work is a job and, therefore, it must be decent. Domestic workers provide services for the care of other people, including children, the elderly or sick people, and perform tasks that contribute to the maintenance of homes, such as cleaning or preparing food (UN Women, 2022). Being paid or unpaid, it is essential for the proper functioning of households, the economy, and the human well-being itself.

Domestic work has traditionally been undervalued, precarious and insufficiently regulated. It is one of the labor activities where is a greater deficit in the quality of work. It is essential and should be considered a commitment to make visible the burden it represents, recognize the work, and dignify it.

There is a vicious circle between domestic work, inequality, exclusion and poverty; many times, it is the only employment option for many women who have not been able to advance in education or have not had access to professional training, as well as women living in poverty, and since it is a precarious job, poorly paid and without social protection, it does not allow them to escape poverty.

The one of domestic work is a vulnerable and stigmatized sector. Most times their labor rights or access to social security are not respected, as well as non-existent contracts, saving and when they suffer injuries due to their own work or age, they are fired without a pension, insurance, or any kind of support.

Considering that it is a predominantly female workforce that is highly exposed to discrimination, as well as social and economic vulnerability, policies to extend social protection to domestic workers are fundamental elements in the fight against poverty and in favor of gender equality.         In the same way, Afro-descendants, indigenous people, and migrants are part of this sector, historically they have been discriminated and vulnerable groups, and considering the current working conditions, they are more susceptible to exploitation, violence, and discrimination itself.

According to data from the International Labor Organization, in Latin America and the Caribbean, it is estimated that between 11 and 18 million people are engaged in paid domestic work, of which 93% are women. This represents between 10.5% and 14.3% of women´s employment in the region. It is estimated that more than 77.5% of the women employed in this sector do so in informal conditions, which is an important factor and conducive to non-compliance with the labor rights they deserve.

In 2011, the International Labor Organization adopted Convention No. 189 on domestic workers, its 27 articles establish guidelines for States to guarantee rights and social protection for domestic workers. The application of existing measures and the contribution to the creation of new ones are essential, so that the rights of domestic workers are guaranteed and the work in decent conditions in a sector that is not properly regulated, controlled, or paid, in which there is still a long way to go, becomes something real.