Imagine a place where toilets were unsanitary, floors in public spaces where littered and greasy, and food courts were never cleared. Would we choose to spend our time or money there? What if our workplaces were constantly a pigsty – how would that impact on productivity? If cleaners and domestic workers never came to work, what would it cost in time and money? We never take the time to calculate what they contribute in capital productivity, not to mention to a society’s dignity.
The likelihood is if we got a few economists on the job we would be shocked to discover that their socio-economic contribution is well above that of many graduate employees. One has only to imagine a world without them to realise the denigration that would ensue. Yet these very people who help to facilitate and to dignify human life are the ones treated with the lowest dignity and regard.
This week’s special guest host Mbali Njomane explored the invaluable contribution of these enduring women in a show she titled, ‘The Ma(i)de Sessions’.
Catch the podcast below: