Regulatory innovations concerning domestic work during the pandemic in Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay

Authors

Abstract

When the Covid-19 pandemic began in March 2020, domestic workers found themselves in a precarious position, as the majority earn low wages and do not hold formal contracts. Many saw their working hours cut and a reduction in income as a result. Some were left without wages as their positions were suspended, and others faced redundancy without compensation. In response, governments sought new strategies to safeguard the incomes of domestic workers. Adopting a comparative perspective, this article examines the various institutional solutions to the issue of paid domestic work applied in four Latin American countries—Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Paraguay—during the Covid-19 pandemic. Taking into consideration all regulations implemented during the first nine months of the pandemic, the article offers an analysis of innovations to legal frameworks surrounding paid domestic work and their effectiveness in terms of protecting those at risk.

Keywords:

paid domestic work, labor regulation, social security, Covid-19 pandemic, quarantine