Housework in India has always worked informal, oral contracts which are shaped by caste, class and gender. While a limited number of states such as Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Odisha, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Tripura have notified domestic workers under the regular employment category under the Minimum Wage Act, more than half of Indian states do not have an enforceable minimum wage weak institutional recourse against the exploitation of domestic workers.
Accordingly NITI AayogIndia’s gig workforce is estimated to grow from 7.7 million in 2020-21 to 23.5 million in 2030. Housework remains one of the largest and most invisible segments. This is reported by the International Labor Organization (ILO). 75 million domestic workers are employed worldwide, the vast majority of whom are women who are employed informally.
In India, the National Domestic Workers Movement’s (NDWM) official estimates of the number of informal workers vary 4.75 millionwhile unofficial estimates range between 10 and 50 million. Most of these workers are women from Dalit, tribal and OBC communities. The wide gap between official and unofficial estimates shows how arbitrarily these workers are counted.
The question remains: Why are basic employee protections provided by startups and not the state?
In urban India, technology platforms now make it possible to hire domestic workers on an hourly or full-time basis. These platforms offer features such as verified customer identities with the safety of domestic workers in mind; fixed monthly salaries; paid time off; the ability to rate customers; attendance tracking; and health insurance. These are basic protective measures that should ideally exist across the industry, regardless of the involvement of private actors. The question remains: Why are basic employee protections provided by startups and not the state?
Recognition of competence by the state
The gaps become clearer when compared to India’s own labor and skills development ecosystem. Industry Skills Councilssupported by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurshipnext to the Skill India Initiative and NSDC offer programs that train people in cleaning, elder care, hygiene, housekeeping and general housekeeping, and provide certification and employment opportunities.
The existence of such programs confirms that the state already recognizes that housework is work that requires skill and efficiency. However, the domestic workforce still remains outside the scope of enforceable workplace protections.
The existence of such programs confirms that the state already recognizes that housework is work that requires skill and efficiency. However, the domestic workforce still remains outside the scope of enforceable workplace protections. For women who have experienced years of exploitative practices as domestic workers, technology-enabled features can serve as a safety net that ensures structured payments and their security in an environment characterized by power imbalances.
The dangers of platform-mediated agency
Technology-enabled substitution in housework should not be interpreted as the start-up industry’s solution to historical problems; Instead, it should be understood that private platforms are exploiting institutional gaps in this country and marketing these as their unique selling points. The private platform system creates a dependency and even a surveillance system. Furthermore, there is a risk that the fundamental dignity of work will be misinterpreted as being accessible only through platform participation, rather than recognizing it as the universal right that it is. Ultimately, the benefits of being part of the business ecosystem and labor rights, which are legally enforceable government protections, are not the same thing.
These platforms currently Offer Insurance, paid vacation and fixed salaries. However, these characteristics are subject to change in light of their independent policy reviews and the company’s profitability. The Indian gig economy has already shown how fragile platform-dependent protection is. On the other hand Transport and delivery sectorWorkers have raised concerns about algorithmic management, evaluation pressures and unstable incomes. Domestic work platforms currently offer comparatively stable structures, but are also susceptible to changes.
From May 2026 the Social Security Code, 2020covers gig and platform workers and provides provisions for social security funds, maternity benefits and more for workers who have been connected to a platform for at least 90 days. However, this new advancement does not change anything for unorganized domestic workers who are not connected to these platforms, especially in rural and semi-urban India. Indeed, the state appears willing to recognize domestic work as a profession that meets the needs of the service sector, but at the same time appears reluctant to fully formalize it through enforceable rights.
Technology-enabled systems further formalize the housework sector through attendance tracking, customer rating systems and customer reviews. These features can improve accountability on both sides while also increasing worker oversight. The evaluation of a worker within a platform-mediated system is generally presented as an indicator of the quality of the service provided by the worker. Because these systems operate within already unequal employment relationships, a low rating not only reflects customer dissatisfaction but also impacts the employee’s future job prospects. On the other hand, the same platforms also allow workers to rate their customers.
The ability to reject a customer booking based on previous employee reviews can be seen as empowering and crucial to the exercise of the employee’s freedom of action. However, while recognizing its benefits, it is important to view this as a conditional benefit that can be withdrawn at the company’s sole discretion.
The ability to reject a customer booking based on previous employee reviews can be seen as empowering and crucial to the exercise of the employee’s freedom of action. And while it does not eliminate structural imbalances and power differentials, it does provide documented evidence to justify a worker’s refusal. Although this is again a platform politics that is vulnerable to future change, it still provides a power redistribution mechanism that is generally not available to domestic workers in traditional settings. However, while recognizing its benefits, it is important to view this as a conditional benefit that can be withdrawn at the company’s sole discretion.
Guaranteeing employee rights regardless of platform affiliation
Millions of Indian domestic workers are falling out of this technology-enabled ecosystem, largely for structural reasons Barriers such as lack of digital literacy and access to smartphones, geographical location and language. If labor protections continue to be tied to platform affiliation, the most geographically isolated and economically vulnerable workers within the workforce will remain excluded from even minimal institutional protections. There is some evidence that the involvement of private technology companies can improve working conditions. The larger political question, however, is whether such labor protection should depend on technical mediation through private platforms at all.
If labor protections continue to be tied to platform affiliation, the most geographically isolated and economically vulnerable workers within the workforce will remain excluded from even minimal institutional protections.
India needs to design a meaningful policy response that recognizes domestic work as a formal labor sector and ensures enforceable protections for domestic workers. These include standardized minimum wages, written employment contracts, health and maternity benefits, and grievance redressal mechanisms. This requires accountability frameworks that extend to workers connected to the platform, without making platform membership a prerequisite for basic dignity. The intention of such a policy should be to ensure that women domestic workers, regardless of their connection to platforms, geographical location or digital skills, are equipped with the tools they need to exercise their freedom of action.
Madhuri Kankipati is an independent writer and researcher based in Khammam, Telangana. She translates between Telugu and English, with a focus on women writers. Her work focuses on politics, gender, literature, digital culture, AI and the impact of AI in Indian publishing. Her writing has been published by The Chakkar, Muse India and Borderless Journal. She also writes about books and AI ethics.