Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don't (Work). Domestic Workers In The COVID-19 Pandemic Double Bind. A report based on an online survey in the United States

In all, 100 domestic workers shared their experiences in a survey that was live for 5 months in 2020 (August-December). There are 3 main things you need to know about the impact of COVID-19 on domestic workers: First, it polarized domestic workers’ situations, in that some of them lost their jobs, entirely or in part, and struggled to pay rent and put bread on the table, while others that kept their jobs were overburdened, strained, and forced to take risks to make a living or to make difficult adjustments to keep their jobs. Even if there were individual workers who may have not experienced big impacts, collectively, domestic workers were affected negatively either way, in an impossible situation of a pandemic double bind. • Thirty-one out of 100 participants were unemployed at the time of the interview but as many as 44 experienced a job loss or reduced hours and difficulties to make ends meet at some point in the course of 2020 (out of 85 that answered this question)! • Thirty-five workers reported a negative impact of the pandemic on the jobs that they kept (out of 85 who responded). Workers found themselves in a situation where they were required to work, sometimes more, in dangerous conditions, and under heavy stress. Second, the impact of the pandemic was not equal but varied for people with different primary occupations: housecleaners faced mass and abrupt layoffs; PCAs kept their jobs and faced a number of hazards, stress, and reported being overworked; and nannies had a mixed experience – of either losing their jobs or keeping them with difficult adjustments. • Some of the adjustments included: moving in with the family for nannies, or facing unequal restrictions; covering for sick co-workers, in the case of PCAs, and putting up with lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) that was not provided to anybody early on in the pandemic. Employers expected the workers to be more cautious than they were. Fear, anxiety, and uncertainty were universal. Third, the workers started relying on non-governmental initiatives to a much greater extent than before the pandemic. Among the most popular services sought were financial help and information. Workers who were immigrants and/or people of color reported using fewer governmental programs yet having greater financial and other needs than other workers. Many of the avenues for getting help increased in importance over the pandemic, but especially organizations for workers and immigrants, which mobilized and serviced mostly immigrant communities of color.