4 ms·

Very true. The working conditions for maids in Singapore are atrocious. Work 6 days per week, 14-16 hour days, salary Is SGD 1,000 / month on average. I live he

Very true. The working conditions for maids in Singapore are atrocious. Work 6 days per week, 14-16 hour days, salary Is SGD 1,000 / month on average. I live here as an expat (no maid, I refuse it) and my neighbours really treat their maids like 2nd class humans. There are often reports of maids being beaten up or abused by their “masters”.

lotsofpulp 4y ago
I do not understand what maids could be doing for 14 to 16 hours per day for 6 days per week. Singapore abodes are small, and surely they have washers/dryers? Are they also serving as cooks, nannies, nurses, and shopping assistants?
- vrc 4y ago
  Yes. At least from what I’ve seen. They do anything for the home. That’s similar to servants/maids in other countries I’ve seen.
- hestefisk 4y ago
  In most homes they are nannies, dog walkers, shopping assistants, and cooks in addition to keeping the home clean and orderly.
sshine 4y ago
> no maid, I refuse it I've always been against hiring people to do my chores, but eventually I can only defend this from the perspective that doing my own chores makes me a better person. (Instinctively I don't want to do it, but morally I cannot justify not doing it now.) I don't believe that hiring servants is bad. Ultimately, it creates an opportunity for them as well. If you have a maid and pay them well, give them better than average working conditions, and don't punish them when you have emotional problems, you give them an opportunity to grow an alternate career on the side. If you "refuse to participate", that does not fundamentally create more equality in itself.
- cyberlurker 4y ago
  Right, you could hire a maid and give them double the salary and normal working hours and now everyone wins. And if they move on to a better career, great, the system worked.
  - monsieurbanana 4y ago
    As long as the money does go to the maid, which is far from being certain. Even in a country as strict as Singapore, some are hostages rather than free workers. I'm sure it's much worse in others. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/some-bosses-holding-on-to-maids-passports-illegally-0 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/some-bosses-holding-o...
    - sshine 4y ago
      If you're the employer, you get to be a part of the system that ensures this.
- hgsgm 4y ago
  1) Almost no one ever pays them well 2) You should pay them to do something for the world, not yourself.
- usrusr 4y ago
  The next step is wondering if you trust yourself staying true to those intentions. I think it's safe to assume that most people who are bad examples never intended to and still believe they are the good guys. We are amazing at deluding ourselves.
- zeristor 4y ago
  Average working conditions might be a very low bar in the first place.
  - sshine 4y ago
    That’s why I suggested better than average.
chanux 4y ago
> I refuse it Why not provide a good experience for one person?
- throwawayoaky 4y ago
  Pretty sure slavery is corrosive to the slaveholder too. Source: slack ass economies love slaves
  - chanux 4y ago
    Not disagreeing with you but.. I was once thinking like the OP too. However, life taught me that you can find someone to do any sh*t job (provided you pick from a large enough pool). Likely because their circumstances are improved by it, at least a little. Hence I'd rather try to improve things a little bit for one person, unlike my purist (and naive) younger self. I must admit though, personally I still find it hard still to make someone else do something I myself loathe doing.
    - naasking 4y ago
      > I must admit though, personally I still find it hard still to make someone else do something I myself loathe doing. Not sure how you avoid it. I assume you don't pick all of your own apples or slaughter your own cows or mine your own iron or cobalt. Delegation is the cornerstone of civilization.
- hestefisk 4y ago
  Because I don’t want to feed the system / make it legitimate. It’s a matter of principles.
  - finolex1 4y ago
    Then they would be doing the same work for even worse pay and conditions back home.
    - 4y ago

lotsofpulp 4y ago

I do not understand what maids could be doing for 14 to 16 hours per day for 6 days per week. Singapore abodes are small, and surely they have washers/dryers? Are they also serving as cooks, nannies, nurses, and shopping assistants?

vrc 4y ago
Yes. At least from what I’ve seen. They do anything for the home. That’s similar to servants/maids in other countries I’ve seen.
hestefisk 4y ago
In most homes they are nannies, dog walkers, shopping assistants, and cooks in addition to keeping the home clean and orderly.

sshine 4y ago

> no maid, I refuse it I've always been against hiring people to do my chores, but eventually I can only defend this from the perspective that doing my own chores makes me a better person. (Instinctively I don't want to do it, but morally I cannot justify not doing it now.) I don't believe that hiring servants is bad. Ultimately, it creates an opportunity for them as well. If you have a maid and pay them well, give them better than average working conditions, and don't punish them when you have emotional problems, you give them an opportunity to grow an alternate career on the side. If you "refuse to participate", that does not fundamentally create more equality in itself.

cyberlurker 4y ago
Right, you could hire a maid and give them double the salary and normal working hours and now everyone wins. And if they move on to a better career, great, the system worked.
- monsieurbanana 4y ago
  As long as the money does go to the maid, which is far from being certain. Even in a country as strict as Singapore, some are hostages rather than free workers. I'm sure it's much worse in others. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/some-bosses-holding-on-to-maids-passports-illegally-0 https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/some-bosses-holding-o...
  - sshine 4y ago
    If you're the employer, you get to be a part of the system that ensures this.
hgsgm 4y ago
1) Almost no one ever pays them well 2) You should pay them to do something for the world, not yourself.
usrusr 4y ago
The next step is wondering if you trust yourself staying true to those intentions. I think it's safe to assume that most people who are bad examples never intended to and still believe they are the good guys. We are amazing at deluding ourselves.
zeristor 4y ago
Average working conditions might be a very low bar in the first place.
- sshine 4y ago
  That’s why I suggested better than average.

chanux 4y ago

> I refuse it Why not provide a good experience for one person?

throwawayoaky 4y ago
Pretty sure slavery is corrosive to the slaveholder too. Source: slack ass economies love slaves
- chanux 4y ago
  Not disagreeing with you but.. I was once thinking like the OP too. However, life taught me that you can find someone to do any sh*t job (provided you pick from a large enough pool). Likely because their circumstances are improved by it, at least a little. Hence I'd rather try to improve things a little bit for one person, unlike my purist (and naive) younger self. I must admit though, personally I still find it hard still to make someone else do something I myself loathe doing.
  - naasking 4y ago
    > I must admit though, personally I still find it hard still to make someone else do something I myself loathe doing. Not sure how you avoid it. I assume you don't pick all of your own apples or slaughter your own cows or mine your own iron or cobalt. Delegation is the cornerstone of civilization.
hestefisk 4y ago
Because I don’t want to feed the system / make it legitimate. It’s a matter of principles.
- finolex1 4y ago
  Then they would be doing the same work for even worse pay and conditions back home.
  - 4y ago