Counting Child Domestic Servants in Latin America

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Demography
• Child Labor Studies

Background:

• Child domestic servitude represents a significant yet often overlooked form of child labor.
• Child domestic workers face heightened risks of exploitation, abuse, and isolation.
• Understanding trends in child domestic service is crucial for developing targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in child domestic servitude across six Latin American countries from 1960 to 2000.
• To examine the relationship between domestic service, live-in/live-out status, and school enrollment.
• To identify factors influencing the vulnerability of child domestic workers.

Main Methods:

• Utilized IPUMS-International census data from 1960 to 2000 for six Latin American countries.
• Employed labor force and relationship-to-head variables for estimating child domestic servant prevalence.
• Analyzed trends in live-in versus live-out arrangements and school enrollment rates.

Main Results:

• Domestic service constitutes a substantial portion of female child employment in several Latin American nations.
• School enrollment patterns for child domestic servants varied, with some outperforming non-domestic child workers.
• Live-in child domestic servants showed mixed results regarding school attendance compared to live-out counterparts, with some cases showing better outcomes and others worse.

Conclusions:

• Child domestic servitude remains a significant labor sector for girls in Latin America.
• The educational attainment of child domestic servants is influenced by their employment type and living arrangements.
• Further research is needed to address the specific vulnerabilities and educational disparities faced by child domestic workers.