Maid asks, ‘Why employers can afford to travel, spending thousands, but can’t afford to buy helper’s food, complaining it’s expensive?’

SINGAPORE: A straight-to-the-point post in a Facebook group for domestic helpers has triggered an uncomfortable yet necessary conversation about priorities, dignity, and everyday treatment inside the home. The message was simple, frustrated, and impossible to ignore.

“Why is it that employers can afford to travel even if they spend thousands of dollars, but when it comes to buying food for their helper, they always complain it’s very expensive???” the helper asked, adding, “Come on, if you cannot afford to give your helper her needs, then don’t hire her… Don’t let your helper suffer.”

The post, shared in the Direct Hire Transfer Singapore Maid/Domestic Helper group, hit a sensitive spot because it highlighted a contrast many helpers say they live with daily. Holidays, luxury spending, and social appearances, on the one hand and tight-fistedness over basic meals on the other.

“Some employers think helpers never get hungry, never get thirsty, so no need to eat…”

The comments that followed painted a grim picture for some.

“Some employers think helpers never get hungry, never get thirsty, so no need to eat, just live as it is,” one commenter wrote, before sharing her own personal experience: “I have an employer who just buys me one packet of vegetables and one packet of noodles every week.”

Another comment reflected the sentiment with biting sarcasm: “They think helpers just eat wood and stone only.”

Others explained how they adapted rather than complained. “That’s why I’m buying my own food using my salary. After finishing the contract, it’s better to find another employer, someone who can afford to give enough food for their helper,” one wrote.

Healthcare came up, too. “Even when you’re sick, when you ask them you want to go to the doctor, they say no need, just buy medicine,” another commented.

“Luckily, my employer is not like your employer…”

Some voices pointed out that not every household behaves this way. “Luckily, my employer is not like your employer,” one commenter shared. Another employer wrote, “My helper is free to eat whatever is in the fridge.”

Still, the overall discussion landed on a hard truth. Providing adequate food is not generosity. It is a basic responsibility.

“Don’t let your helper suffer…”

The helper who posted the original question was not asking for luxury but was calling out hypocrisy and urging basic decency. Travel budgets running into thousands, while meals for a live-in worker are treated as a burden, sends a message that no contract can soften.

The helper’s final line lingered long after the comments stopped scrolling to remind all employers: “Don’t let your helper suffer.”

Read related: ‘You can afford a luxury car, but you can’t afford to take it to a car wash?’ — Maid asks employers who force helpers to wash their cars