The male domestic helper

Whenever we talk about domestic helpers in Hong Kong, most of the time we imagine them as Filipino or Indonesian women who cook food, take care of babies, accompany children to school, do the laundry and a variety of other tasks. Simply because the term sounds so feminine. In many countries, the tasks described above are almost exclusively performed by women.

However, behind the ubiquity of the female domestic helpers. There are also thousands who come from the opposite sex, almost 4,000 to be more accurate. About 2,900 of them come from the Philippines while the rest come from India, Nepal, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.

Many of whom have professional jobs back in the Philippines but because the pay is lower than the prescribed rate of domestic helper job in Hong Kong -- HK$3,480 -- these men take the job even if on many occasions they receive derogatory remarks about their decision.

Among male Filipino migrant workers, Middle East, South Korea and Taiwan are likely destinations because of the nature of jobs mostly on offer there: operators at oil refineries, construction sites and factories where male manual labor is in demand. However, working in Hong Kong as domestic helpers is also a good choice to some. Hong Kong and the Philippines share the same time difference, has a mild climate, home to a considerable number of countrymen and adequate consular support.

Having a job closely associated with women might be uncomfortable to some men but for these male domestic helpers, getting the job done the same way, if not better, than women should be the thing that matters. While women are often good cooks and probably better at taking care of babies, men are obviously more masculine and can perform relatively more demanding tasks such as lifting heavy objects or scrubbing a swimming pool.

Another advantage, according to an SCMP article, is that men are less moody and are likely to spend less on the phone gossiping with friends as what many female domestic helpers do, and I find this one amusing.

I know very few male household workers, as some of them perform exclusively as drivers. But for others who also double their work at home and behind the wheel, they become more bankable and can negotiate for better salary.

Domestic helper job isn't something that belongs to women. Men can also perform these tasks quite well. For those who thought it degrades man's integrity by taking up a woman's job, it doesn't; as long as they know the job and they do the it right, men are even more admired. It only shows that men can be trustworthy at home, especially when they have their own family to take care of.

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