Editorial | King’s House needs maids

Words carry weight and power. They can heal, and, conversely, hurt and isolate people.

Language itself is a product of history and there are certain words and phrases that point to a painful history which Jamaicans are trying to forget as the country slowly shake off the vestiges of its colonial past. We cast back our minds to that era when the aristocracy had an elaborate socio-economic hierarchy in their mansions, with the retinue of servants including maids, manservants and butlers.

Terms like “maid”, “servant” and “yard boy” imply connotations of servitude toward persons who carry out certain jobs around the home. In the rigid class structure that existed centuries ago, a maid somehow fell below the status of the homeowners for whom she worked. Sadly, classism still exists in society and many middle-class employers today exhibit a similar behaviour towards their in-home workers.

But these rankings were deemed offensive and have become outdated as society became more respectful and appreciative of honest labour. It is considered more palatable now to refer to helpers, housekeepers, gardeners and sanitation workers. In the same vein, as the language evolves, secretaries are more commonly known as personal assistants or executive assistants.

As an anthropologist, former Prime Minister Edward Seaga saw an emerging class in the 1980s and elevated higglers and branded them informal commercial importers bringing them into the mainstream of economic endeavour by legitimatising them as small entrepreneurs.

Before that, in 1975, the national minimum wage championed by Prime Minister Michael Manley attempted to give houseworkers some protection, albeit within 75 per cent of the national minimum wage. This year the minimum was raised to 15,000 per 40-hour week.

Many of these workers are bread-winners for their family, eking out an existence to ensure their children receive a good education in preparation to take their place in the world. It is commendable that some employers treat their in-home workers as respectfully as they treat their officer workers. They are accorded all rights and are fairly compensated and they are not called maids.

SEARCH FOR A MAID

So when King’s House goes in search of a ‘lady’s maid’ and a ‘maid’ in an advertisement that says “a culture of excellence through people, performance and partnerships” underpins every aspect of its operations, as does the espoused values of integrity, commitment, adaptability and respect for all”, we see this a reflection of how deeply steeped in colonial tradition this institution is. For in that distant culture, maids were common-place, they even had categories of maids, kitchen maid, scullery maid, laundry maid, nursery maid, parlour maid and so forth.

The Jamaica Householder Workers Union (JHWU) an NGO, formed 30 years ago to represent the interest of these workers, estimates that there are about 100,000 household workers in Jamaica. In all of history women who worked in the home have been exploited and abused and their struggles are often kept behind closed doors.

The JHWU, guided by the International Labour Organization standards is dedicated to highlighting these conditions and getting redress on behalf of the workers. There also seems to be a need for them to educate the public on the need to stop using derogatory terms to describe women who work in the homes.

Sir Patrick and Lady Allen, as the King’s representatives in Jamaica, we believe, understand the journey the household worker has travelled over time. We think they would appreciate that “maid” is an outdated concept which takes us back to an exploitative era of employment.

The fundamental basis for cleanliness remains the same, what has changed are the tools, method and respect for people who deliver this service.

When mutual respect exists in the work environment people are motivated to do their best. No one wants to be called a maid. No one ought to be called a maid. King’s House should take another look at this advertisement.