Filipino maids, sitting, talking, playing cards, in the colonade shade of a low building on the waterfront of Central, Hong Kong

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The pavements and public squares of Central are the meeting place for Filipino maids, on their one day off, Sunday. They come in their thousands to share food, gossip, play cards, read and do one another's hair and nails. Many households in Hong Kong have a live-in 'amah' or maid, who cooks, cleans, minds the children. The work is done by migrant workers, especially young women, on two year, 'foreign domestic helper' work visas. Filipinos are the largest group, accounting for 65% of Hong Kong's 240,000 foreign domestic workers. The work seems hard (the monthly salary being around HK$ 3320), but is a very attractive option for young Filipinos escaping the poverty of the Philippines. The work gives them the chance to attain a better standard of living back home.

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Size: 5032px × 3341px
Location: Central Waterfront, Central, Hong Kong, China
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: amah, central, china, chinese, commerce, domestic, domestics, filipino, finance, hong, kong, life, maid, maids, meeting, migrant, migrants, pavement, people, place, public, recreation, relaxation, skyscrapers, square, street, sunday, urban, walkway, waterfront, women, workers, young