The Mothers Behind Our Mothers

When conversations arise about domestic workers, they almost always revolve around immigration policy, work permits, wages or labour shortages. Those discussions matter, but they often overlook the human story unfolding behind front doors across the country. According to the Economics and Statistics Office's most recent Labour Force Survey, more than one in ten Cayman households employs a domestic helper, illustrating just how deeply these women have become woven into everyday family life. Workforce data also show there are more than 4,200 work permit holders employed as domestic helpers across the Islands, making it one of Cayman's largest categories of work permit holders. Many of those women are mothers themselves, raising families thousands of miles away.