The Status of Black Women in the United States:
Over 2 million women
Care for our nation's homes and families. Many of them are immigrant women and women of color.
The work supports millions of people — young and old — to live and work with dignity.
And yet is some of the most invisible and undervalued work in our economy.
Nannies, housekeepers, and home healthcare workers have historically been excluded from basic labor protections.
Without formal legal protections, and in fear of being fired (and in some cases, deported), many workers tolerate low or no pay and abusive employers.
The National Domestic Workers Alliance is home to the growing care and cleaning workforce that goes to work in our homes, supporting American families.
We organize to achieve the dignity, respect and professionalism the work deserves.
Federal laws exclude domestic workers from joining a union, and most are paid informally, so we’ve gotten creative about how we establish and enforce rights for the two million housekeepers, nannies, and home healthcare workers in the US.
We're shaping the future of work and jobs.
Right now our members are
Our movement harnesses the diverse experiences and identities of our workforce to create a powerful voice and achieve real victories for working women.
Since 2010, our movement has passed 6 unprecedented bills of rights that establish legal protections for domestic workers on a state level.
Our victories have brought visibility and recognition to our work — in 2012, Executive Director Ai-jen Poo was named one of TIME’s Most Influential People in the World, and in 2015, she received the MacArthur Genius Award.
States where we've won victories for Domestic Workers
Our Board of Directors is composed primarily of domestic workers, women like:
Silvia Gonzalez
Silvia immigrated to the United States from Mexico in 2000 to provide better educational opportunities for her daughter. For the past 15 years, she has worked as a house cleaner. Sylvia has participated in many local and national campaigns to improve the working conditions and rights of domestic workers. She loves her work and takes great pride leaving her clients’ homes gleaming.
She's now an active member of Casa Latina, and recently was elected to NDWA's Board of Directors by her peers.
Join our movement!
Here’s what your gift can do:
Your contribution goes directly to support our innovative programming and improve the lives of millions of hardworking domestic workers.
Print materials for nannies to do outreach in a local park
Buy bus fare to and from the state capitol to lobby for a Bill of Rights
Provide food for a meeting of domestic workers strategizing about their next campaign
Sponsor a group of workers to participate in our biennial gathering of members from across the country