The luxury one would probably miss in a developed country is – domestic servants! While most average rich or upper middle class Indians too afford a fleet of domestic servants now, it remains a far-fetched dream for people in US and Europe. Oil-rich Sheikhs of middle east countries lead in keeping domestic servants, mostly immigrants, while even Chinese and Latin Americans are not far behind. But, why would the richest and most developed countries have no house-helps or servants? Is it just a cultural difference or something else?
In snowy winters of Norway, a man in his 70s, is busy shoveling the snow from his lawn. It looks a humongous task to clear off the snow, but he finishes it calmly while listening to digital radio in his headgear. He would go back and mop-up the floors of his wooden European bungalow. He painted the outer wall himself this summer, which still retains its radiant red colour. He is a retired and rich fellow, with a SUV car, a private boat, and a big lawn. But, he has nobody to help him for household chores. Nobody to wash the floors, drive the car or cook for him. Many of his friends have (re)married some lady to share the work, but he is divorced and alone. Yet, he seems pretty content from his life, going on mountain hikes, skiing and ice-fishing.
Let’s recreate the situation in India. A retired old rich man sipping green tea, about to read the morning newspaper, but he can’t find his reading-glasses. He calls for a servant, and an adolescent boy helps him. A housemaid is cooking in kitchen, while his wife is busy with her routine morning prayers. Soon, a driver will take her to a nearby temple, while another maid is busy wiping the floors. This may look an exaggeration from middle-class perspective, but almost every average-earning family affords at least one servant. There are servant agencies in metros, while there are family-run servitude in villages.
But, what triggers this difference in developing and developed world?
And, who are actually at advantage? Surely, the man in India seems to have much better life than one in Norway. But, is there some hidden fallacy in the system?
Countries with more domestic servants have two factors in common- plenty of unskilled workers, and income disparity. Although a cook and a driver wouldn’t be counted unskilled worker in west, and they are earning good even in Indian cities, yet the sector is not properly regulated. Minimum wage principle, written job-contracts, leave compensations, pension funds or employment benefits have no uniformity. It could be safely assumed that they don’t exist at all for domestic servants. The reason westerners can’t afford them, is because they will have to provide these basic needs of an employee. A house-help or a cook or a driver earn not less than a blue-collar employee, rather they earn more, in west. So, there isn’t much income disparity between the master and the servant. This results naturally in an egalitarian society.
An obvious consequence of this no-servant society, is self-dependence and acquisition of skills. One learns to mop the floor, paint the walls, cook the food, clean the car and even basic carpentry. This begins at tender age, and gets better as one grows older. Another hidden vantage of this concept is women equality. Considering volume of household work, there is always an equal division of work between partners or spouses. This simple concept transforms the indolent culture into active and healthy society.
One might well argue that domestic servitude is a mode of manpower utility and bridging the unemployment chasm in a populous country like India. But, whether it is actually bridging the divide or widening the skill and income-disparity is a matter to be contemplated about.
(Author Dr. Praveen K. Jha is a Norway based radiologist doctor, an author and a columnist)