According to surveys conducted by the All India Trade Union Congress in 2024, there are approximately 22 million domestic workers in Karnataka. | Photo credit: ALLEN EGENUSE J.
After Vijayalakshmi, 27, tried working in a garment factory and a showroom, neither of which matched her responsibilities at home, she felt that only domestic work allowed her to hold things together.
Married at 18 and widowed five years later after her husband died of kidney failure linked to alcoholism, she is now raising two daughters – aged seven and eight – on her own. As she only studied up to class 7, she decided that her daughters should not be pushed into the same cycle. Vijayalakshmi works in four households in Bengaluru’s Yeshwanthpur and earns a total of about ₹ 11,000 per month. Although there is no fixed pay, hours or vacation, it is the only job that allows her to manage the children and still earn enough with her limited education.
Published – 24 Apr 2026 05:45 IST
