Drivers, Maids Earn More Now

Someone once said, if behind every successful man there’s a woman, then behind every successful woman there’s a maid. In nuclear families where both partners work, the domestic help and driver have come to assume extreme importance.  But their salary has not kept pace with their rarity. It is only over a five-year period that we found a noteworthy jump in the monthly salaries of domestic helps.

In 2006, a full-time maid would charge around Rs. 4,000. Now, that stands between Rs. 4,500 and Rs. 6,000. For three hours, the charge was Rs. 1,500 in 2006 and is now Rs. 2,500. Drivers have had it relatively good: Their salaries have gone up from Rs. 5,000 to between Rs. 8,000 and Rs. 10,000 in these five years.

(Research by: Nilofer D’Souza; Text: Jasodhara Banerjee)