How much is too much to pay for domestic help? That is the question polarising the internet after a Reddit user shared a post from a "random uncle" living in a 3BHK for ₹ 70,000 a month. The resident’s plea to keep maid salaries low, claiming that ₹2,500 is the "fair rate", has been met with widespread backlash.
“Random uncle in a gated apartment, living in a 3bhk flat whose rental is 70k+. What's the standard salary for a house help once you secure a rental you really like?” a Reddit user wrote.
The person shared a screenshot of a post originally shared on the MyGate app for a society.
“Looking for a maid who comes twice. I need morning anytime between 730 to 10 and afternoon at around 4 pm. Salary I will pay - 3500 for both times if Sunday is off. If she can come on Sundays then additional depending on what all she can do,” read the post.
It continued, “Don't send maids who demand 3500 for one time. The fair rate for one time is 2500. I don't want to inflate the rates and I strongly urge all residents to control the rates. Rate for one hour is 100 on all insta maid apps (during normal non peak months).”
{{/usCountry}}It continued, “Don't send maids who demand 3500 for one time. The fair rate for one time is 2500. I don't want to inflate the rates and I strongly urge all residents to control the rates. Rate for one hour is 100 on all insta maid apps (during normal non peak months).”
{{/usCountry}}The share further compared the salary of a househelp with that of someone working an entry-level tech job. “If monthly maids come for 25 days, that equates to 2500. If she works for 10 hours or 10 houses that's 25000. That's more than what qualified and skilled people get in BPO and tier 3 engineering graduates get in service companies post tax.”
According to the screenshot, the person who posted the requirement has 21 years of HR experience and lives in Bengaluru with his family.
How did social media react?
An individual wrote, “How can you even decide what a fair rate is for someone??? I don't understand. Domestic work is NOT EASY. Imagine cooking and cleaning at 10 houses a day and then having to take care of your own house. That's INSANE. None of this should be taken for granted. They are humans. And so what if they want a little bit more money? We all ask for raises and promotions at work. They have lives too. F**king hell.”
Another expressed, “Boomers are the most entitled people in the world. You're getting someone to do all the household work for the price of a restaurant meal, and that's also apparently too much.”
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A third posted, “The people asking ‘what’s wrong with this?’ are exactly the problem. It’s hypocrisy to celebrate the free market when it helps you as a white-collar professional to maximise your own salary, but suddenly act offended when blue-collar workers do the same and charge what the market allows.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)