Domestic work and migration in the United States: a characterization of Honduran women

Abstract

Given the lack of studies focused on Honduran domestic workers abroad, this article aims to characterize Honduran women living in the U.S. employed in domestic occupations. For this purpose, I employed survey data on women living in five American states, and calculated descriptive and inferential statistics. Furthermore, I employed binary logistic regression modeling to analyze the determinants of domestic work participation. When compared with all other occupations, domestic female workers of Honduran origin present significant differences in age, number of dependents, asset ownership, savings, income, and bank account ownership. Similarly, age (95% CI 0.92–2.63, p = 0.94), savings (95% CI 0.01–0.97, p = 0.047), account ownership in Honduras (95% CI 0.88–71.05, p = 0.064), monthly income (95% CI 0.99–1.00, p = 0.096), and social security (95% CI 0.02–1.29, p = 0.086) seem to be the key determinants explaining domestic work participation. Engaging and promoting compliance with international legal instruments might provide a means to consolidate the rights of these populations. The article concludes by highlighting future lines of research regarding the migration and rights of Honduras and Central American women living in the U.S.