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Mental Health and Psychosocial Well-being of Domestic Workers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania: Why It Matters and Why We Should Make It a Priority

Abstract

This phenomenological study explores the mental health and psychosocial well-being of domestic workers aged 15–18 years in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and Erikson’s psychosocial development theory, the study examines how domestic workers negotiate self-acceptance, personal growth, purpose in life, quality of relationships, environmental control, autonomy and resilience within unequal labor and care arrangements. Data were generated through in-depth interviews with 29 domestic workers and analyzed thematically. The findings reveal that mental health and psychosocial well-being among domestic workers are shaped through complex interactions between structural vulnerability, interpersonal relationships, migration experiences, economic necessity, and future aspirations. While supportive relationships, income generation, and future-orientated coping strengthened self-acceptance and social belonging, exploitative labor conditions, restricted autonomy, social isolation, and emotional abuse undermined identity formation and emotional stability. The study argues that domestic workers should be understood not merely as vulnerable laborers but as socially embedded actors navigating structurally unequal environments through agency, adaptation, and meaning-making. Prioritizing their mental health and psychosocial well-being is therefore essential for labor justice, social protection, urban development, and inclusive public health policy and achieving Tanzania's National Development Vision 2050 (DIRA 2050) while aligning with ILO’s Convention 189 and Recommendation 201.

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