Brazil’s domestic workers fear for their lives — and their jobs

Brazil has emerged as the latest global epicenter of the coronavirus crisis, with hundreds of thousands of cases affecting people from all backgrounds. But in the early weeks of the pandemic, in March, several victims of the disease shared something in common: they were domestic workers infected by their employers.

The first confirmed Covid-19 patient in Brazil’s northeastern state of Bahia was a woman who had recently returned from Italy. She infected her maid, who then infected her own 68-year-old mother. Then, on March 17, a 62-year-old live-in maid was the first person in Rio de Janeiro to die from the novel coronavirus, having contracted the disease from her Covid-19-positive employer.

Domestic workers are central figures in Brazil, a hidden workforce that keeps society running. Most upper- and middle-class Brazilian households — and even many lower-middle-class homes — employ some form of domestic worker, ranging from semi-regular cleaners to nannies and live-in maids. Brazil, with a population of 209 million, has 6 million domestic workers, according to the government.

And Covid-19 is bringing this enormous, often invisible workforce into focus.

High risk and no safety net

Brazilian domestic workers earn an average of USD 128 a month — less than the national minimum wage — though salaries and working conditions vary greatly across social strata.

Some domestic employees are live-in maids, who usually work their entire adult lives for a single family. Others are paid monthly, and commute daily to work. Then there are daily maids who serve multiple households, akin to...