Having a housemaid is pretty common in Ghana. Most people with a higher status have at least one housemaid, if not more. I am on the search for a new one because I have not had the success in training the previous ones, that I would have like to have had. It's pretty essential to have one when you are very busy. They can take care of the smaller things that you need done.
I do think it's a luxury and definitely not in our budget- I mean it certainly isn't a necessity. Maybe I'm a little weird on this one, but I'm not really comfortable with the idea of a maid cleaning up for us anyway- I feel like it's my home, my mess, my organization system and I'd rather take care of it myself. Anyone other than my husband or I doing it just feels really awkward and wrong to me; but to each their own.
I wonder, if the original poster had used the words "use a cleaning service," whether the American posters would have had a completely different answer? There is something very personal about the relationship with a "maid," whereas a cleaning service would be very aloof and professional. I think I would be more comfortable with this arrangement than having a certain person come in regularly. "Hiring a maid" sounds like putting someone into servitude. However, to me, "using a cleaning service" does not seem as tied to old social conventions about status. I still dislike the idea of having anyone do my cleaning, but would be less averse to having a team of professionals do it at a standard wage.
In my country Amanda it's not common to have cleaning services unless it's a corporation. In particular houses people who can afford it hire a maid (or whatever more adequate name it might be), usually people from the upper middle class of course.
My mum has a lady that comes in and cleans one morning a week. I could understand this when she was working full-time, but she is retired now. I think it is a bit of a luxury. As a mum of four who works full-time, I would love to have someone come in and clean for me. Unfortunately, I cannot afford to do this. Also, I would be ashamed to have someone come- I would feel the need to clean up before they came to clean up.
Yep, that's exactly how I feel about my mum as well. We used to have a woman that went there 3 times per week, but both my parents were working and both me and my brother were living there. Now they are retired, both my brother and I left, but they keep her exactly the same.
I wouldnt consider it a luxury though it depends on the circustances upon which you are getting one. If your daily life is too busy, getting some extra hands to help around your house can be considered but it's not really necessary. I don't think it's right to get a house maid to do simple work that you could do yourself. Some people may argue that having a house maid is just normal but I believe that even despite being busy in our lives, we can all find enough time to run our homes without extra help.
I don't know if I would want a maid at my place, I mean, my mother "gave" me hers for one day and I really didn't like her service. I asked her to do one thing (cleaning windows) and when I got home she was washing the kitchen and I was like, what?
I agree with what you have said. There are people in my country who have small homes and still have housemaids for the reasons you have pointed out. For example, I have some friends who have a small house, but they are very busy and do not have the time to clean up, which is necessary. Instead of letting their house be in chaos because they do not have the time to clean up, they have hired a housemaid to keep the house tidy and wash the clothes. Having a housemaid is very common in my country and it is not seen as anything out of the ordinary.
As much as I wish I could afford to have a maid work in my home-- we are a small family on a single income and it is simply not an option for us. I keep up with the housework as best I can -- with a newborn at home -- but I have to tell myself sometimes that no one is perfect and I have to just accomplish things as I can because of the restrictions on my time.
I think that when it's just a couple it doesn't make much sense unless we can afford it, but when both parents are working and have kids it can be really exhausting. Usually I come from work and I don't stop until they are in bed, a maid could really give a hand.
I think that having house maid can be really tough if you are on a limited income. But I always wanted to have a house maid as they can be of great help at times. I have had them for a few days but never permanently.
If you can afford one why not. I would have one come once a month and do heavy duty stuff for a few hours.
I think that it's pretty common in quite a few countries, but do people really need it? For example, I have two kids and both me and the wife work full time, so a maid could be a great help, but we simply can't afford one and we manage ok, tired, but ok.
A maid? LoL I am the maid. This is a luxury that I don't think would waste my money on even if I could afford it. Why pay to have someone do something that I can easily do myself. Granted, no I dont always have a lot of time considering I am taking care of my newborn - but I get things done when I can - and plus I actually like cleaning - it's theraputic for me.
When my boyfriend was an over the road truck driver (not home most of the time) and I was working full time and raising our daughter in her younger years, I had someone who came in once a week for dust/vacuum/bathroom cleaning and someone who did the yard once a week. My time with my daughter (and with boyfriend when he was home) was too valuable to spend on those things. We used a local teen for the yard stuff and a single mom for the cleaning. The money was worth it. Now, neither of us are making as much and we have a whole lot more time for household stuff and each other so we do what we need to ourselves.
Well that's not entirely the case here in the Philippines. Most household here has a maid or a helper as we call it because most families here leave the house during the day. Both parents often go to work while the kids are at school which is why there are lots of employed house maids here in my country. We've had a few of them back when I was younger and when my mom still goes to the office and I really got close to all of them. They still visit us sometimes whenever they get the chance but as guests and not as housemaids.
In Botswana too, having a maid is common ground. Pretty much everyone who works has got a maid as well as a gardener in some cases. Maids not only look after your house here, they double as the nanny. We're not where the West are where this is something accessible only to the hideously rich, and where nannies have to have the right qualifications. Children don't start nursery and pre-school till a little later, as we start primary school later too (six years old compared to four in the UK). People would be wary to put their eight month baby in a nursery. So no, here it's not a luxury; it's a very affordable necessity.
