Exploring Coping Strategies Applied by Domestic Workers to Remedy Challenges Arising from Low Wages

Elizabeth Zyambo, Francis Simui and John Moose
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Elizabeth Zyambo: Doctoral Student, Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia
Francis Simui: Associate Professor, Institute of Distance Education, University of Zambia
John Moose: Manager, Teaching Council of Zambia

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, 2025, vol. 9, issue 3, 2937-2944

Abstract: The study explored the strategies used by domestic workers to mitigate challenges arising from their low salaries using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach within a qualitative study. The study sought to understand the lived experiences of twenty-two (22) participants using reflexive thematic analysis. The study revealed five primary coping mechanism and these include reliance on debt, particularly through informal in formal savings and lending schemes such as village banking, engaging in supplementary jobs such as piece works during off days, receiving financial and material support from relatives and friends, residing at employers’ homes to reduce living expenses and remaining silent about wage concerns to maintain job security. The findings highlight the resilience and adaptive strategies of domestic workers in the face of economic hardships, emphasizing the need for policy interventions to improve their financial well-being.

Date: 2025
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