Also note the impossibility that over half the population has full time house help
It’s not numerically impossible for over half the households to have full-time house help; by some combination of ① some housekeepers working two full-time shifts for different households, and ② some families having more than one member who works as a housekeeper (in someone else’s house).
A lower-income worker without family nearby may still have communal support. Support networks are the bread and butter in Africa. You are not going to make it far if you do not know a lot of people to trade favours with. Loners will be regarded with deep suspicion. For example, if I had shown up to the bride price ceremony without family, my wife’s family might not have agreed to the marriage.
That said, a lower-income worker without family nearby may not be able to “afford” child care and esp. not full-time house help. I’d expect that to be a relatively rare case, though.
It’s not numerically impossible for over half the households to have full-time house help; by some combination of ① some housekeepers working two full-time shifts for different households, and ② some families having more than one member who works as a housekeeper (in someone else’s house).
Ok, you are technically correct, but in practice even in cheap labour societies a lot less than half of households have full time help.
not sure about India, but disagree for many African countries. See my comment above.
Can you explain more, could a lower income worker without family nearby afford child care and full time house help?
A lower-income worker without family nearby may still have communal support. Support networks are the bread and butter in Africa. You are not going to make it far if you do not know a lot of people to trade favours with. Loners will be regarded with deep suspicion. For example, if I had shown up to the bride price ceremony without family, my wife’s family might not have agreed to the marriage.
That said, a lower-income worker without family nearby may not be able to “afford” child care and esp. not full-time house help. I’d expect that to be a relatively rare case, though.