Modern-Day Slavery? The Work-Life Conflict of Domestic Workers in Nigeria

Purpose – The trend of domestic employment thrives almost in every society. It is most common in developing countries, and Nigeria is no exception. This article examines the nature of the role of a domestic worker in Nigeria and the work-life conflict issues involved in such work.
Design/Methodology/Approach – This study uses a qualitative research approach to examine the nature of the role of domestic workers and the associated work-life conflict issues.
Findings – The findings show that the nature of the jobs of domestic workers in Nigeria gives rise to a situation of modern-day slavery in which an employee works without a formal employment contract, with little or no rights to private time. Long and unstructured working hours, employers’ perceptions about domestic workers, and an enormous workload fuel and exacerbate work-life conflict among domestic workers in Nigeria.
Research Limitations/Implications – The extent to which the findings of this research can be generalised is constrained by the limited and selected sample of the research and the research context.
Practical Implications – The primacy of the employer over the employee in domestic employment means that both time and work-based conflicts continue to buffer work-life conflict if domestic workers’ working hours remain unscheduled and their employers’ perceptions about them remain unchanged. This invariably has a negative impact on the domestic workers’ health and productivity. Therefore, domestic employment should be regulated by law, and domestic workers should be treated like other formal employees.
Originality/Value – This research contributes to the debates on work-life conflict by highlighting the nature of the role of domestic workers in a non-western context, Nigeria, and provides a nuanced insight into the work-life conflict issues involved in such work. The findings add conceptual thought and empirical evidence to the debate on work-life conflict.