A Troubling Portrait of Domestic Work non-fiction

In the article, “A Troubling Portrait of Domestic Work,” the author wants the reader to know that a new study or survey was distributed to 2, 086 domestic worker who said that they were not given breaks or paid much, sometimes less than minimum wage. It was also found that Hispanic workers were paid less than Asian workers and workers that sleep at their work place often hardly got much sleep. The article explains that domestic workers don’t have the usual rights as other working citizens do, and do not usually get insurance. The author does a great job of proving this point when he includes all of the different statistics and percents. It helps describe how few get any advantages even when they are working so hard. Another thing that helps the author prove his/her main idea is when he/she states,” Wages varied widely by ethnicity and immigration status.” This shows that even in these times, there are still racial issues, but it also tells the reader that it is very difficult to make a living from being a domestic worker with such widely ranged wages. It is very difficult to live the way that these people do while working very hard to make such a small amount. But not only that, the workers also may have to deal with racist comments and less pay because of where they are from.

The author hopes that the reader will feel that the way domestic workers are treated in America is unfair. He/she hopes we will want them to be fairly treated wherever they come from, get higher pay, and all of the benefits of being not only a worker, but also a citizen. They should have equal rights because they work just as hard as others do. The author, though, has a tough job. For someone like me, it is very hard to feel bad for domestic workers because I can’t really imagine how it feels or what it is like to be treated differently because of my race or origin or live off of a minimum wage. The author does this by saying that “Achieving basic rights shouldn’t have to depend, haphazardly, on the kindness of their employers. “ Being the last line, it somewhat sums up what the whole article talks about. It makes the reader realize that the domestic worker’s whole life depends on the kindness of one person, and no one should have to be in this position. The author also uses the word “if” to help him/her describe what life would be like if domestic workers were treated equally.

I think that the article has a way of stating the facts without using specific words that make it seem more convincing. I like how it does this without having to explain why what is happening is bad.  I would like to know more facts about domestic workers that are more unique. I would like to know how they feel about the unfairness of how they are treated. I feel like if they are citizens, they should be treated like it. I also don’t understand why they are not treated as workers when they work just as hard as many workers who are paid hundreds or even thousands more. I just don’t understand why. This article is good at telling me the basic facts, but it needs to explain them a little more.