Debate rages over hiring ‘beautiful maids’

DOHA: A heated debate rages in the Qatari community over whether housemaids from European countries like Bosnia should be recruited as part of the country’s plans to reduce dependence on major Asian manpower exporting countries.

Those opposed to the idea of hiring maids from Bosnia say since Bosnian women are charming and beautiful they might destroy Qatari homes by tempting young men.
Young Qatari wives are particularly sceptical and say they don’t want beautiful European women in their homes as they fear they could ‘charm away’ their husbands, local Arabic daily Al Sharq reported on Thursday.

They argue that already there have been cases of good-looking Asian maids having ‘tempted husbands away’ in many a family and destroyed homes.
Then, there are cases of illicit relationships between Asian maids with younger men, they further argue.

They insist that if at all European maids are allowed to be recruited, stricter rules must be in place that do not permit women less than 40 years of age to enter a Qatari home as maid.
Social stability might really be at stake if young and beautiful European maids are permitted to take up jobs in Qatari homes, the daily said quoting community sources.
However, those in favour of the idea say newer markets must be tried to reduce Qatar’s dependence on a few major Asian manpower exporting countries.

They argue that due to the ‘monopoly’ of these countries recruitment charges have been ‘skyrocketing’ as employers must cough up huge commissions to manpower agencies.
There are some neutral elements in the community too who say they don’t see any harm in the new recruitment plans and say what impact European maids might actually have on society is to be seen and not just speculated about, the daily said.

It recently reported that an agreement might be signed soon to recruit housemaids from Bosnia and Herzegovina and a host of Arab and African Countries to reduce the country’s reliance on a few major maid-exporting Asian nations.

Manpower agencies have welcomed the proposal saying it would give more options to employers to choose the countries to recruit maids from.
Agency officials say that competition and increased availability of maids should actually help reduce recruitment charges.
The Peninsula