May Day commemorates the historic struggles and gains made by workers. 1st May is recognised as an international day of solidarity between workers of all nationalities. May Day celebrates the fight for workers’ rights, including the demand for an eight-hour workday. A demand relevant for women, who often work for more than eight hours per day in both paid and unpaid work.  

On May Day, we need to reflect on how women’s work is undervalued in our society. The hard work of women workers continues to remain invisible, and their rights unprotected.

According to the ILO, domestic work is one of the most common form of employment for women. One in every 13 women workers is employed as domestic worker. Women domestic workers working behind closed doors in homes have to deal with unpaid/low wages, long working hours, few or no breaks, physical confinement in the workplace, and in some cases, even physical or sexual abuse.

Women workers are discriminated against in agriculture, mining, tourism, and construction, in nearly every industry. The inequality between women and men is prevalent everywhere. Women have become a source of cheap labour to feed into the supply chains of large corporations.

Increasing women’s participation in the economy is very important. Their dignity and rights as human beings are equally important.

Photos and content by Prerna Jain.