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.