Maids Don't Have It Made

The icon art to the left notwithstanding, most domestic workers are not French maids in miniskirts, nor do they flit around with feather-dusters in hand.

Domestic workers earn substandard pay, enjoy little economic mobility or financial security, and seldom have contracts. Domestic workers often operate in hazardous work environments and when they encounter problems, frequently feel too vulnerable to defend themselves, especially live-in workers and undocumented immigrants.