Idul Fitri's exodus brings problems for many women
Idul Fitri's exodus brings problems for many women
By T. Sima Gunawan
JAKARTA (JP): Ramadhan is always the busiest month for Sita, a woman with three sons. Her maid as well as her son's nanny will soon leave for their hometown in Central Java to celebrate Idul Fitri with their families.
Sita works for a private company and her husband is a civil servant. Their eldest child is seven, while the youngest is only one.
Last year, when their maid and nanny took Idul Fitri leave, she put her two children in a day-care center. She is planning to take them to their grandparents' house in Slipi, Central Jakarta, next week.
"I cannot afford the fees. They charged Rp 5,000 for each child. Two children means Rp 10,000. With that money I could buy the family's meals for a day," she told The Jakarta Post.
Sita will be spared the burden of taking care of the children, but she still must do the household chores.
"My husband will lend a hand only if I tell him to do this or that. Otherwise, he will just stand still and expect me to do all the work," Sita complained.
Exodus
Many women, particularly working mothers in big cities, share Sita's problem. This is because for Indonesians, Idul Fitri is more than the biggest Moslem holiday. It is also a family reunion. Millions of people, including servants, travel home to celebrate the occasion. Last year 2.9 million Jakartans left for their hometowns. The exodus usually starts in the second week of Ramadhan and reaches its peak a few days before the holiday.
This year's official Idul Fitri holiday begins on Feb. 20 and 21, but most maids take at least a week of leave to compensate for their long journey home. What's more, for many maids Idul Fitri is the only time they don't have to work.
House maids are not included in the formal labor force. There is no legislation to protect their rights. Most work seven days a week, from early in the morning until late at night. They prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner, wash the dishes, do the laundry, clean the house, and some even have to take care of the children. Many families are dependent on their maids and nannies, especially because there is a lack of day care centers in the country.
Lani, a painter, is lucky. Her servant, who has worked for her for 16 years, is leaving, but the faithful helper has found a replacement, who lives nearby, to take over during her absence.
"My house maid takes Idul Fitri leave every year. But before she leaves she always tries to find someone for me," Lani said.
Last year the maid failed to find someone to replace her, but Lani had no problem with the household chores.
"I live by myself; the only thing missing when the maid is not around is that I do not have someone to chat with," she said.
Priz, an architect, is even luckier. His servant has decided to stay.
"I will give her a big Idul Fitri bonus for this," he said with a laugh.
He is ecstatic that he will not have to do the household chores. When his servant went home last year, Priz graciously helped his wife with the laundry.
"I did not mind doing the laundry as long as I could do it with the washing machine," he said. "I have no idea what to do without the machine."
As servants and nannies leave, many working women (and some husbands) take leave from their offices.
Nina Sunoto, an employee with the Canadian Embassy, and her husband plan to take two to three weeks leave.
"We are going to Bandung to stay with my mother," said Nina, the mother of a four-year-old and a six-month-old baby.
She will return after the Idul Fitri holiday and expects her servant and nanny to return the day after.
Like Nina, Ulung Trisnowati, who works at Bank Pacific, is also taking leave because her servants are taking a holiday. Her husband, a contractor, will also take a leave. Even though both of them will not go to work, Ulung still feels the need for a servant to do the household chores. Ulung will not have time to do the work because she will concentrate on her baby twins, who are six months old. Her husband might help a little, but she knows she won't be able to depend on him.
Suppliers
Maid suppliers are enjoying robust business.
One of the biggest suppliers is operated by Bu Gito.
"Every day, there are an average of 10 house maids who come from various villages in Central, West and East Java as well as Lampung to work here. But this is far below the demand, which has reached more than 30 a day," said Muslim, an assistant of Bu Gito.
The monthly salary of a maid is between Rp 60,000 and Rp 100,000 -- far below the Rp 4,600 minimum daily wage of Jakarta. Muslim said that employers who want to hire a maid during Ramadhan must double the salary. The maid, however, doesn't get the money right away. At the end of the month, the employer sends the money to the supplier. The employer is also required to send the maid's second and third months salary. The maid collects her salary after the third month.
There is a Rp 130,000 administration fee for each maid hired. If they are not satisfied with a servant's work, they are allowed to return her within three months for a new one.
Muslim said the supplier charges a Rp 75,000 administration fee for nannies. The baby sitter will get a minimum monthly salary of Rp 150,000, but she must give the supplier 10 percent of her first six months salary.
The supplier gives baby sitters a one-and-a-half month course, and then sends them for ten days of training at a clinic, which all together cost Rp 350,000. The baby sitters must repay the amount within seven months.
The headache caused by the servant exodus proves their worth.