Who looks after our children while we work? Who cares for our ageing parents, prepares meals and keeps households running? For millions of families around the world, the answer is a domestic worker.
Yet the people who make so much of our daily lives possible remain among the least protected and lowest-paid workers in the world.
Representatives of governments, employers' and workers' organizations, including organizations of domestic workers and their employers, gathered in Montevideo, Uruguay, from 3 to 5 November 2026 for a global conference jointly organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Social Security Association (ISSA), with the support of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID). The meeting marked the 15th anniversary of the adoption of the Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189), and its accompanying Recommendation No. 201.
The conference provided an opportunity to take stock of progress, share practical solutions and develop strategies to make decent work a reality for domestic workers.
The challenge for the next 15 years is to move from recognition to application; from ratification to implementation; from rights on paper to rights exercised in practice.
Ana Virginia Moreira Gomes, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean
"The challenge for the next 15 years is to move from recognition to application; from ratification to implementation; from rights on paper to rights exercised in practice," said Ana Virginia Moreira Gomes, ILO Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean, in her opening remarks.
Progress made, but millions still left behind
When Convention No. 189 was adopted in 2011, it marked a historic recognition that domestic work is work, and that those who perform it are entitled to labour rights and social protection.
Since then, countries around the world have introduced important legal and policy reforms, extending labour and social protection to domestic workers and strengthening efforts to formalize employment.
New ILO estimates released on 27 October 2026 highlighted the scale of the unfinished task.
Of the 80 million domestic workers worldwide, an estimated 66.5 million - or 83.1 per cent - remain in informal employment, often without effective labour and social protection.
Domestic workers earn, on average, just 53.3 per cent of the monthly wages of other employees. More than one in three (35.2 per cent) work at least 49 hours per week, while many others work too few hours to earn a sufficient income.
Women, who account for 77.2 per cent of the world's domestic workers, face particularly pronounced inequalities, earning on average just 48 per cent of the monthly wages of other employees.
Behind these figures are workers who may spend their days caring for children or older persons, yet struggle to provide economic security for their own families. Workers who may be expected to remain available around the clock, without adequate rest. And workers who, despite years of experience and essential skills, may lack access to a pension, paid sick leave or protection when they lose their jobs.
The figures nevertheless offer grounds for optimism. Among countries with comparable data for 2019 and 2025, more than half have reduced informality among domestic workers, demonstrating that progress is possible when policies and institutions are designed to respond to the realities of the sector.
The challenge now is to accelerate that progress and ensure that rights established in law translate into effective protection in practice.
Fifteen years ago, the ILO adopted Convention No. 189 on domestic workers. It was a landmark. Today, the challenge is to turn that recognition into reality.
Shahra Razavi, Director of the ILO's Labour and Social Protection Department
"Fifteen years ago, the ILO adopted Convention No. 189 on domestic workers. It was a landmark. It established a simple but fundamental principle: domestic work is work, and domestic workers deserve the same rights and protections as other workers," said Shahra Razavi, Director of the ILO's Labour and Social Protection Department, during the launch of the new estimates. "Today, the challenge is to turn that recognition into reality."
Preparing for the future of domestic work
The conference took place at a critical moment for the future of domestic work and the global care economy.
Population ageing and growing care needs are increasing demand for care services in many countries. Migration and displacement are reshaping domestic workforces, while digital platforms are changing how workers are recruited and employed. Climate change, conflict and other crises are creating new vulnerabilities.
These transformations present both opportunities and risks.
Growing demand for care could create new opportunities for formal, adequately paid employment. But without effective policies, it could also reinforce existing patterns of low pay, informality and unequal treatment, particularly among women and migrant domestic workers.
Digital technologies could make recruitment, registration and social security contributions easier, but could also introduce new risks of exploitation and exclusion.
For the ILO, the question is therefore not only how to extend the protections established under Convention No. 189, but how to adapt implementation strategies to a rapidly changing world of work.
Bringing the world together to find solutions
Over three days, representatives of governments, employers and workers exchanged experiences and examined practical approaches to some of the most persistent challenges in domestic work.
Discussions addressed how to ensure fair wages and reasonable working hours, extend social security, strengthen labour inspection and compliance, prevent violence and harassment, and improve access to justice.
Participants also examined how skills recognition, fair recruitment, social dialogue and collective bargaining could contribute to formalization and better working conditions.
Particular attention was given to adapting these strategies to growing care needs, international labour migration, digital transformation and the effects of crises and displacement.
Rather than focusing solely on the adoption of new laws, the conference explored what it takes to make existing rights effective: from simplifying employment registration and strengthening social protection systems to supporting household employers in meeting their obligations and ensuring domestic workers have a voice in decisions affecting their lives.
The discussions drew on experiences from different regions and explored how to adapt strategies to the changing world of work, identifying practical approaches to advance decent work for domestic workers.
A historic meeting place for a new chapter
Montevideo provides a particularly meaningful setting for the conference.
Uruguay was the first country in the world to ratify Convention No. 189. It was also the birthplace of the International Domestic Workers Federation, established in 2013, marking an important milestone in the global organization and representation of domestic workers.
Fifteen years after the adoption of Convention No. 189, the conference brought the international community back to a country that helped lead the way in recognizing domestic workers' rights.
The anniversary offered both an opportunity to recognize the progress achieved and a call to action.
The next 15 years must be about translating commitments into tangible improvements in the lives of domestic workers - ensuring that those who clean our homes and care for our families can enjoy decent work, dignity and effective protection themselves.
Because a sustainable future of care depends on decent work for the people who provide it.
About Convention No. 189
Adopted by the International Labour Conference in 2011, the Domestic Workers Convention (No. 189) establishes international standards to promote decent work for domestic workers, including fair terms and conditions of employment, minimum-wage protection, reasonable working hours, social security, occupational safety and health, and protection against abuse, harassment and violence. It is accompanied by Recommendation No. 201, which provides further guidance on implementation.
