The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO

Christine Phiri Mushibwe; Daniel Lupiya Mpolomoka

doi:doi:10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17

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The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO

Christine Phiri Mushibwe^*

, Daniel Lupiya Mpolomoka

Published in Science, Technology & Public Policy (Volume 9, Issue 2)

Received: 18 August 2025 Accepted: 5 September 2025 Published: 31 December 2025

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Abstract

This study examined the lived experiences and perceptions surrounding housemaids in Lusaka Province, Zambia, using a qualitative interpretivist approach with 45 participants, including employers, spouses, and housemaids themselves. Findings reveal that housemaids are widely perceived as lacking initiative, unproductive, and burdensome, which aligns with entrenched occupational stigma. Narratives further exposed recurrent themes of dehumanisation, including low wages, absence of contracts, denial of career prospects, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual exploitation. Employers frequently reinforced negative stereotypes, while housemaids recounted enduring inhumane working conditions, mistrust, and social exclusion. The study advances the Dehumanised Theory, which grounds how domestic workers are devalued not due to ethnicity or ideology, but because of the job they perform, rendering them “less than human.” This study recommendes the formalisation and professionalisation of domestic work through accredited training under TEVETA, enforceable written contracts, mobile-friendly abuse reporting mechanisms, and the extension of legal protections to both trained and untrained housemaids. These measures would restore dignity, promote empowerment, and address systemic silencing within this occupational domain.

Published in	Science, Technology & Public Policy (Volume 9, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17
Page(s)	135-145
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

House-maids/House-helpers/Domestic Workers, Madam, Human Wellbeing, Work, Employee/Employer

References

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APA Style

Mushibwe, C. P., Mpolomoka, D. L. (2025). The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO. Science, Technology & Public Policy, 9(2), 135-145. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17

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ACS Style

Mushibwe, C. P.; Mpolomoka, D. L. The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO. Sci. Technol. Public Policy 2025, 9(2), 135-145. doi: 10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17

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AMA Style

Mushibwe CP, Mpolomoka DL. The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO. Sci Technol Public Policy. 2025;9(2):135-145. doi: 10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17

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@article{10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17,
  author = {Christine Phiri Mushibwe and Daniel Lupiya Mpolomoka},
  title = {The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO},
  journal = {Science, Technology & Public Policy},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {135-145},
  doi = {10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.stpp.20250902.17},
  abstract = {This study examined the lived experiences and perceptions surrounding housemaids in Lusaka Province, Zambia, using a qualitative interpretivist approach with 45 participants, including employers, spouses, and housemaids themselves. Findings reveal that housemaids are widely perceived as lacking initiative, unproductive, and burdensome, which aligns with entrenched occupational stigma. Narratives further exposed recurrent themes of dehumanisation, including low wages, absence of contracts, denial of career prospects, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual exploitation. Employers frequently reinforced negative stereotypes, while housemaids recounted enduring inhumane working conditions, mistrust, and social exclusion. The study advances the Dehumanised Theory, which grounds how domestic workers are devalued not due to ethnicity or ideology, but because of the job they perform, rendering them “less than human.” This study recommendes the formalisation and professionalisation of domestic work through accredited training under TEVETA, enforceable written contracts, mobile-friendly abuse reporting mechanisms, and the extension of legal protections to both trained and untrained housemaids. These measures would restore dignity, promote empowerment, and address systemic silencing within this occupational domain.},
 year = {2025}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO
AU  - Christine Phiri Mushibwe
AU  - Daniel Lupiya Mpolomoka
Y1  - 2025/12/31
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17
T2  - Science, Technology & Public Policy
JF  - Science, Technology & Public Policy
JO  - Science, Technology & Public Policy
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EP  - 145
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-4621
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AB  - This study examined the lived experiences and perceptions surrounding housemaids in Lusaka Province, Zambia, using a qualitative interpretivist approach with 45 participants, including employers, spouses, and housemaids themselves. Findings reveal that housemaids are widely perceived as lacking initiative, unproductive, and burdensome, which aligns with entrenched occupational stigma. Narratives further exposed recurrent themes of dehumanisation, including low wages, absence of contracts, denial of career prospects, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual exploitation. Employers frequently reinforced negative stereotypes, while housemaids recounted enduring inhumane working conditions, mistrust, and social exclusion. The study advances the Dehumanised Theory, which grounds how domestic workers are devalued not due to ethnicity or ideology, but because of the job they perform, rendering them “less than human.” This study recommendes the formalisation and professionalisation of domestic work through accredited training under TEVETA, enforceable written contracts, mobile-friendly abuse reporting mechanisms, and the extension of legal protections to both trained and untrained housemaids. These measures would restore dignity, promote empowerment, and address systemic silencing within this occupational domain.
VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Christine Phiri Mushibwe

School of Business Management, Unicaf University Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia;School of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Unicaf University Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7569-1665
Daniel Lupiya Mpolomoka

School of Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, Unicaf University Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2479-2693

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APA Style

Mushibwe, C. P., Mpolomoka, D. L. (2025). The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO. Science, Technology & Public Policy, 9(2), 135-145. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17

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ACS Style

Mushibwe, C. P.; Mpolomoka, D. L. The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO. Sci. Technol. Public Policy 2025, 9(2), 135-145. doi: 10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17

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AMA Style

Mushibwe CP, Mpolomoka DL. The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO. Sci Technol Public Policy. 2025;9(2):135-145. doi: 10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17

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@article{10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17,
  author = {Christine Phiri Mushibwe and Daniel Lupiya Mpolomoka},
  title = {The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO},
  journal = {Science, Technology & Public Policy},
  volume = {9},
  number = {2},
  pages = {135-145},
  doi = {10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.stpp.20250902.17},
  abstract = {This study examined the lived experiences and perceptions surrounding housemaids in Lusaka Province, Zambia, using a qualitative interpretivist approach with 45 participants, including employers, spouses, and housemaids themselves. Findings reveal that housemaids are widely perceived as lacking initiative, unproductive, and burdensome, which aligns with entrenched occupational stigma. Narratives further exposed recurrent themes of dehumanisation, including low wages, absence of contracts, denial of career prospects, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual exploitation. Employers frequently reinforced negative stereotypes, while housemaids recounted enduring inhumane working conditions, mistrust, and social exclusion. The study advances the Dehumanised Theory, which grounds how domestic workers are devalued not due to ethnicity or ideology, but because of the job they perform, rendering them “less than human.” This study recommendes the formalisation and professionalisation of domestic work through accredited training under TEVETA, enforceable written contracts, mobile-friendly abuse reporting mechanisms, and the extension of legal protections to both trained and untrained housemaids. These measures would restore dignity, promote empowerment, and address systemic silencing within this occupational domain.},
 year = {2025}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - The Silenced Voices of House-maids: Dehumanized for the Choice of JOB, That I DO
AU  - Christine Phiri Mushibwe
AU  - Daniel Lupiya Mpolomoka
Y1  - 2025/12/31
PY  - 2025
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17
T2  - Science, Technology & Public Policy
JF  - Science, Technology & Public Policy
JO  - Science, Technology & Public Policy
SP  - 135
EP  - 145
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-4621
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.stpp.20250902.17
AB  - This study examined the lived experiences and perceptions surrounding housemaids in Lusaka Province, Zambia, using a qualitative interpretivist approach with 45 participants, including employers, spouses, and housemaids themselves. Findings reveal that housemaids are widely perceived as lacking initiative, unproductive, and burdensome, which aligns with entrenched occupational stigma. Narratives further exposed recurrent themes of dehumanisation, including low wages, absence of contracts, denial of career prospects, physical and emotional abuse, and sexual exploitation. Employers frequently reinforced negative stereotypes, while housemaids recounted enduring inhumane working conditions, mistrust, and social exclusion. The study advances the Dehumanised Theory, which grounds how domestic workers are devalued not due to ethnicity or ideology, but because of the job they perform, rendering them “less than human.” This study recommendes the formalisation and professionalisation of domestic work through accredited training under TEVETA, enforceable written contracts, mobile-friendly abuse reporting mechanisms, and the extension of legal protections to both trained and untrained housemaids. These measures would restore dignity, promote empowerment, and address systemic silencing within this occupational domain.
VL  - 9
IS  - 2
ER  -

Copy | Download