The vulnerable case of domestic workers in the Lebanese context

Abstract

The presence of domestic workers in Lebanon is not a recent phenomenon, as even before the civil war, Lebanese households hired young women from the neighbouring countries, such as Syria or Egypt. The situation changed after the civil war as a massive influx of foreign labour, mainly from Asia and Africa, arrived. This thesis aims to highlight the forms and implications of the growing role these individuals occupy in the Lebanese labour market, characterized by a phenomenon of ethnicization of certain sectors of activity. It will be assessed the impact of the presence of this foreign labour on the market and on the population in which ethnic and religious tensions exist. As Lebanon has caught the spotlight for the mistreatment of women domestic workers, the thesis will investigate the factors that contribute to this exploitation, by examining the working and the living conditions of these women, as well as the role of the Kafala system and the recruitment agencies.