Colonial Legacies of Child and Female Domestic Work in Lima

Abstract

This article analyses the persistence of child and female domestic work in Lima, situating it within a historical framework that dates back to the colonial period. Drawing on the study of present-day conditions of indigenous migrant girls, boys, adolescents and women engaged in domestic service, it examines the historical practices of domestic work in colonial Lima, where their participation constituted a central component of the domestic and social order. This analysis enables us to understand the depth of the social and gender hierarchies that have shaped labour relations up to the present. The study argues that recognising these colonial legacies is essential for understanding the reproduction of inequality, exclusion and stigmatisation that affects domestic workers today.