Is the absence of unionisation among women domestic workers in Pakistan a result of choice or structural constraint?

Shoib, Zulekha and Karim Soomro, Hassnain and Lohana, Sneha (2025): Is the absence of unionisation among women domestic workers in Pakistan a result of choice or structural constraint?

Abstract

Women domestic workers represent a significant component of Pakistan’s informal labor market, yet remain largely excluded from formal labor regulation and collective representation. Despite recent passing of laws for domestic work, unionization within this sector is limited. This study investigates whether the limited unionization of do- mestic workers in Pakistan reflects individual preference or structural constraint aris- ing from legal constraints, economic vulnerability, and institutional exclusion. Using a mixed-methods research design, the study draws on primary qualitative interviews and descriptive quantitative data collected in Sindh and Punjab. The findings indicate that low levels of union participation are primarily explained by the absence of en- forceable contracts, limited legal documentation, weak institutional outreach, and high exposure to employment insecurity, rather than opposition to collective organization. While some respondents expressed conditional support for collective representation, trade unions were widely perceived as ineffective or misaligned with the immediate economic priorities of informal domestic work. We recommend that trade unions work on improving their outreach to female domestic workers. There should be a one-page contract written in Urdu, accessible to all domestic workers that should be signed before the onset of their contract.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Female Domestic Workers; Trade Unionisation; Informal Labour Markets; Structural Constraints; Collective Action; Pakistan
• Subjects: J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J1 - Demographic Economics > J16 - Economics of Gender ; Non-labor Discrimination; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J4 - Particular Labor Markets > J46 - Informal Labor Markets; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J5 - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining > J51 - Trade Unions: Objectives, Structure, and Effects; J - Labor and Demographic Economics > J8 - Labor Standards: National and International > J83 - Workers' Rights

References

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