It Pays To Be An Old Maid

Insecure about their husbands' roving eye after the Shiney Ahuja case, women have been increasingly demanding for elderly maids; placement agencies to also train them in self-defence

It Pays To Be An Old Maid

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It Pays To Be An Old Maid

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Insecure about their husbands' roving eye after the Shiney Ahuja case, women have been increasingly demanding for elderly maids; placement agencies to also train them in self-defence

No longer are housewives looking for youthful, active young maids. Ever since the Shiney Ahuja case, maid placement agencies have been receiving requests for older maids, to ensure that the husbands don't stray.

Bharati Kulkarni, from Lilam Enterprises in Powai that provides maids, said the ideal age of maids, as demanded by clients, is now between 45-55 years. Earlier, all they asked was that the maid be above 18.
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"We've been receiving at least three calls daily for older women, since the incident came to light," said Kulkarni, whose company employs 15,000 maids. "We are also now hesitant to send maids to work for bachelors."

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Confidence levels in older maids are high among those who employ them. "They are more faithful than youngsters and understand family issues better.
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However, there is still more than one family member at home when my maid does her chores," said senior media executive Pushpa Chauhan.
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Learning martial arts

What's more is that maid placement agencies are also now considering training their staff in self-defence to ensure their personal protection.
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"Our staff need to be ready in case their safety is compromised," said Kulkarni.

Bubbly Rawat, president of the Maharashtra Rajya Ghar Kamgar Molkarin Federation, has reached out to maids to immediately inform the association when even a minor incident of sexual harassment takes place with them.
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"Many such incidents occur with maids, but most go unreported, as maids are scared to complain.

We are demanding for a welfare board for maids and will discuss self defence options in a core committee meeting and then focus on the implementation," said Rawat.

'Better laws'

The federation's cause will gain further fillip today when National Commission for Women chairperson Dr Girija Vyas will meet state and civic officials to discuss the need for better laws to protect housemaids.
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"Internationally, maids have far more rights. We require better laws to curb sexual harassment and also better rehabilitation of rape victims.

We need to ensure that investigations in this case are clear and that the victim does not have to undergo more trauma than she has already been through," she said.

Suspicion on the rise

Shrinks also feel that the Shiney episode may add to suspicion and paranoia among couples.
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"Women travel a lot these days so it's not surprising that they might begin to feel nervous about leaving a single female servant alone at home with the men of the family.
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It definitely speaks of a rise in insecurity between couples," said Dr Kersi Chavda, president of the Bombay Psychiatry Society.

Excessive media reportage has also left its mark. "It over generalises such an event to the extent that people reach conclusions faster thinking that such an incident could happen any time or with anyone, which is not necessarily the truth," said counsellor Dr Rajiv Anand.

In numbers
>u00a010 lakh maids in Maharashtra
>u00a0Only 55,000 are registered members across the state
>u00a025,000 operate in city
(Source: Maharashtra Rajya Ghar Kamgar Molkarin Federation)

Help for women

Women's Violence
Helpline: 1298

Mumbai Police
Helpline: 103

Swadhar: 10920