The Lived Experience of Domestic Workers in Tehran

The present study focuses on the living experience of domestic workers. The research methodology is of qualitative type using narrative analysis method. The study population were female domestic workers in Tehran and through purposeful sampling, 15 persons of the study population were selected. Deep interview technique has been used to collect data. To analyze the data, the theoretical coding method has been used. The findings of this study show that the main theme of women turning to homework is "subordinate citizen" and the common denominator of women's life experience of doing housework is the experience of social inequality. In addition to getting aware of their class gap with the employer, deprived of social protection floor is a barrier to their job mobility. Domestic workers acknowledge the inferiority of domestic work and avoid social integration, so they try to hide their jobs for the fear of social exclusion. On the other hand, from an employer's point of view, doing housework is seen as an inherent responsibility of a woman. Domestic workers, due to their unique working conditions need to receive integrated support. Moreover, the right of domestic workers to maintain human dignity and health conditions must be considered in law and the rules.