The discussion around Lebanese domestic labor is no longer considered shocking, as evidenced by numerous social media pages requesting Lebanese and Syrian workers for household services without facing "intense" backlash.
A review of these pages reveals a significant demand for Lebanese domestic workers for cleaning and often combined with caring for children, the elderly, those with disabilities, and the sick. Requirements often include cooking skills, with some jobs offering accommodation and others not. In rare cases, a prospective worker may respond with interest, but the use of pseudonyms in inquiries indicates that this type of work remains "secretive," much like it does in reality. One woman requested the homeowner not to tell anyone if they asked about a worker, as she wants to work "without anyone noticing." Job postings also reveal the exploitation of women and girls in positions with long shifts without breaks, or with accommodation but without leave. Wages usually range from 3 million to 7 million Lebanese pounds, with some offers proposing $150 to $200. One of the offers even mentioned that "the treatment is very good" to compensate for the low salary.
### Demand without Offer
Despite the above, it does not lead to the conclusion that we are witnessing a shift toward local domestic labor. Ali Al-Amin, a member of the Syndicate of Employment Agencies in Lebanon, insists that "the demand is never matched by an offer," confirming that "if the labor force exists, I am ready to attract it." While local labor, especially part-time or hourly workers, does not require a mediator like an agency and often occurs secretly between the two parties, Al-Amin seems certain of the lack of supply in the market because "daily, they call us asking about daily or hourly work, and we respond that we do not work this way but rather with employment contracts." He views the illegal work practiced by foreign hourly workers as a "phenomenon that burdens agencies."
### Why Don't They Work?
Some believed that poverty and need would open the door to work in domestic services, to the extent that "from time to time, requests are received by employment agencies to secure a Lebanese woman for domestic work abroad in exchange for high financial sums," according to Al-Amin, but "of course, this is impossible." Why don't Lebanese, Syrian, and Palestinian women accept jobs that Asian and African women might? Mahé Kial, an anthropology professor at the Lebanese University, answers this by saying, "Cultural heritages prevent a father from employing his daughter in homes for fear that no one would want to marry her, or even for the husband to be told that he employs his wife at people's houses." This creates a "demeaning" view of domestic work. Moreover, local workers often do not last in domestic service; employers dismiss them due to the closeness of language and culture, which they see as an invasion of their privacy.
### Domestic Work in the Law
The market's need for labor in domestic service and the need for opportunities for Lebanese workers were suitable reasons to seriously reconsider local domestic labor. Therefore, the Ministry of Labor included a proposal in the draft amendment to the labor law, which had been delayed due to the country’s circumstances and is awaiting the parliament's approval, suggesting to amend Article Seven to include excluded work such as domestic labor and work in the agricultural sector. "This provides legal protection and incentives that might encourage Lebanese people to work in domestic service, which is what we hope for in the Ministry of Labor, because our goal has always been to employ local labor and not to transfer foreign currency abroad," says acting Director-General of the ministry, Marlina Attallah, who calls on the media to "encourage people to engage in this work and to abandon the incorrect cultural beliefs that degrade its value."
