Home-based work has been around for as long as human beings have roamed the Earth. In the modern period it is mainly women who perform domestic work – childcare, laundry and cooking – for no pay. They are effectively the slaves of the family. How are the home-based workers in the video feature different?

Episode 12 of the On the frontline series includes the above clip and more.

Many workers have also faced threats to their jobs with an estimated 3 million retrenched. Over the past 30 years we have seen the growth of informal employment, especially home-based work.

In this show we look at home-based workers and discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on them.