A domestic worker is one who works in or for another person’s home. For a person to qualify as a domestic worker, he/she must be engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship. The term “employment relationship” excludes those persons from domestic work who;

1. Perform their work only occasionally or sporadically (such as part-time babysitters)
2. Perform the domestic work as a family responsibility (child care, elder care, etc.)

However, workers employed for the cleaning of public and private buildings and any other above-mentioned activities are not domestic workers as domestic work is a household work and is usually performed within the boundaries of a house.

There is no fixed wage for a domestic worker. The wage usually depends on what the employer is willing to pay or what the domestic worker is willing to accept. 

In other words, an employer can set a very small payment for a domestic worker, since there is no legal obligation thereafter. When domestic workers enter the labour market, they usually don’t know what their rights are. The minimum wage in Uganda was set in 1984 and has not been revised since then.

Although some people think that domestic work is uncomplicated, it still remains real work just like other jobs. The work can be physically and psychologically challenging. This type of work demands long hours, from preparing children to go to school in the morning to finish up when all others have gone to their beds. A domestic worker brings skills and experience into the home of her employer.