ABSTRACT
The work assigned to housemaids in the Gulf ranges from cooking, serving meals, sewing and cleaning and washing to childcare and care of aged and disabled members of the household. Some maids even have responsibility for animals. The amount of work each housemaid is burdened with will necessarily depend on the size of household and how many people participate in housekeeping and childcare. The religion of the indigenous population in the whole Gulf area is almost exclusively Islam. Consequently there should be sufficient possibilities for Muslim migrants to perform their religious rituals, provided they are permitted to do so by their employers. As has been indicated, the Sri Lankan housemaids live under extremely controlled and isolated conditions while in the Gulf. They are usually kept on call within the house, let out only if accompanied by “madam.” Ironically these conditions have certain favorable aspects when it comes to possibilities for saving money.
