When Malaysians think of maids, they often think of them as being uneducated or unskilled, left with no choice but to become domestic helpers. That’s why most Malaysian families treat them so harshly.
When I was younger, I would frequently hear stories of Malaysian families physically harming their maids. At first, news like that was quite emotional for me, and would haunt me for weeks. But as time went on, I would only sigh sympathetically and move on with my day. I had gotten so accustomed to hearing news about maids being abused or even murdered, that they rarely surprised me anymore.
Why do we treat maids horribly? They dedicate their days and years to helping us, yet they are under-appreciated.
Recently, I interviewed a Malaysian domestic worker working in my housing area. Her name is Leli Laela Dini and she has been a maid for three years.
When asked why she became a maid, she said that the world needed a lot of helpers. As a mother herself, she knows of the difficulties in taking care of a house and family. So, she understands how much mothers around the world need housemaids like her to help them out.
She also said that her job with her latest family has turned out to be a surprisingly pleasant experience, despite the unsettling history of maids working in Malaysia. She has become very close with all the three families she’s worked for, up to today.
Overall, she described her job very positively. However, she wishes for her three kids to have better jobs and more successful futures. She hopes for them to not end up as housemaids. If she could be anything other than a domestic helper, she would want to be a factory owner. So, she wants her children to achieve their dreams of working overseas and owning big companies, too.
Leli is a very sweet, understanding soul who puts others before herself. She understands the struggles of managing households and tries her best to let the mothers relax. She works hard every day to take care of her employer’s kids and keep the home clean, rarely complaining, although she’s almost 60 years old.
Most maids are just as hardworking as Leli and deserve to be treated kindly and respectfully. Mutual respect and appreciation are extremely important for having bright, happy maids like Leli.
In a world where health comes before anything else, we need to remember that our housemaids have improved our overall mental, and physical health, greatly. Managing households can be mentally and emotionally draining, but our housemaids can lessen the anguish by taking care of younger family members and helping out with tasks. They also keep our home environments clean, and therefore, easier to live in. Unfortunately, their importance often goes unnoticed, although they’ve served so selflessly.
There are a lot of simple things that you can do to show your appreciation to your housemaid. For example, get to know their family history and life. Initiate friendly small talk from time to time, rather than bossing them around all day. A maid is not a slave, becoming close to your maid can make their work a good experience. This could even give them more motivation to complete all their tasks around the house.
You could also take note of their birthdays and get them a gift on the day. Buying small gifts for your housemaid will do no harm. It’s a nice way to show that you care for them and appreciate them.
Most importantly, you could even help them out in small ways. This could be simply by picking up pieces of trash you see on the floor, wiping down surfaces after you’ve used them, or even washing your dirty dishes after using them.
Housemaids are not lesser human beings than you; they deserve respect. We truly owe them a huge thanks for everything that they do.
Make sure to thank your domestic helper for everything they do for you and treat them like human beings.
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