Domestic labor in the Gulf countries

Abstract

This article looks at domestic labor migration to the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council.1 It reflects a feminization of the occupation and the domination of Asian migrant women in this sector. The article argues that despite the high demand for Asian domestic workers and the increasing dependence on them in the Gulf countries for many years, they are still perceived as ‘others’, excluded from labor laws and thus rendered more susceptible to exploitation and various abuses. Effortsmade by both the sending (Asia) and receiving countries (Gulf countries) towards adopting national laws and policies that protect domestic Asian migrant’s rights are reviewed. The article will end by giving brief recommendations to minimize the suffering of those migrants.