A step closure to economic empowerment: Women domestic workers opened their Bank accounts

In Gurgaon and Panipat, Swabhiman kendra has acted as a community resource centre. It provided access to a variety of services and information for domestic workers and their daughters. The need for women domestic workers to open their own bank accounts has been expressed. Only a few women in both places have their own bank accounts, while the majority rely on their husbands' accounts.

During a focus group discussion, it was discovered that women domestic workers are also subjected to economic violence. They are frequently unable to use their own money, and their husbands and sons have refused to allow them to withdraw money. Many women also stated that they are not permitted to make any financial decisions. One of the young domestic workers from Panipat shared “My husband and in-laws asks me many questions if I ask for money, although that money is earned by me, but I have no right on it. They refuse me by saying that good women don’t go to the bank.”

Similarly, in Gurgaon, women said that their money was snatched from them by family members. "My husband used to seize my money to buy alcohols," one of the domestic workers revealed. "Whenever I tried to hide the money, he stole it."

This conversation and dialogue with the women prepared the way for financial literacy, with the opening of a bank account being the key piece toward their economic empowerment.

Sonia, a field officer in Panipat, approached the bank to arrange a camp for women domestic workers to open Jan Dhan accounts. During the camp 80 Jan Dhan accounts of women domestic workers were opened in Panipat.

Women in Gurgaon were informed on the importance of opening a bank account as well as how to do so. Following the session, 22 domestic workers went to a nearby bank and opened their own accounts. "I've been working in Gurugram for more than 15 years, but I've never sought to create a bank account," Kokila, a domestic worker in Gurgaon, said. Following the session, I realized that opening the account would give me ownership, and I would no longer be reliant on my husband to provide me money.