Maid
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A maidservant or in current usage maid is a female employed in domestic service. Once part of an elaborate hierachy in great houses, today the maid may be the only domestic worker that middle and even upper-income households can afford. In the West, comparatively few households can afford live-in domestic help, usually compromising on periodic cleaners. In less developed nations, fewer educated women and limited opportunities for working women ensures a labour source for domestic work.
Maids perform typical domestic chores such as cooking, ironing, washing, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, walking the family dog, and taking care of children. In some countries, maids take on the role of a nurse in taking care of the elderly and people with disabilities. Maids are often expected to work at least fifteen hours per day.
Types of maid
In hierarchical order, the types of maid in a large household are:
- Lady's maid - Outside of the normal hierarchy, the lady's maid was a senior servant and reported directly to the lady of the house, rather than to the housekeeper or butler.
- Head House Parlour-maid (or Head Housemaid, Head Parlour-maid)
- House Parlour-maids (or simply housemaid) (Under house parlour-maid if there is only one)
- Chambermaids (also known as housemaids)
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- Kitchen maids, also Between maid (Hall girl in the US)
A maid is also an archaic word for an unmarried woman or a virgin.