LATIN AMERICAN PERSPECTIVES, Issue 218, Vol. 45 No. 1, January 2018, 163–174 DOI: 10.1177/0094582X17717989 © 2017 Latin American Perspectives 163 Informed But Insecure Employment Conditions and Social Protection among Paid Domestic Workers in Guayaquil by Erynn Masi de Casanova, Leila Rodriguez, and Rocío Bueno Roldán Translated by Richard Stoller Salaried domestic labor in private homes in Latin America is informal, precarious, and exploitative, but for thousands of women who have no other options it is their occupation and the sustenance of their families. The results of a study based on 400 surveys of paid domestic workers in Guayaquil, Ecuador, about social protection and labor rights show that workers possess a high level of knowledge about their labor rights but the majority do not belong to the social security system and many do not enjoy any of the benefits guar- anteed them by law. Understanding the situation and experiences of these workers is a precondition for creating strategies to recognize the importance of their work and to guar- antee their labor rights. En América Latina, el trabajo remunerado en casas privadas es informal, precario, y explotador; para miles de mujeres que no tienen otras opciones, es su ocupación y el sus- tento de su familia. Los resultados de un estudio basado en 400 encuestas de la protección social y derechos laborales de las mujeres trabajadoras remuneradas del hogar de Guayaquil, Ecuador, demuestran un alto nivel de conocimiento de los derechos laborales entre las trabajadoras. Sin embargo, la mayoría de las participantes no estaba afiliada al sistema de seguro social, y muchas no gozaban de ninguno de los beneficios garantizados por la ley. Entender la situación y las experiencias de las trabajadoras del hogar es necesario para crear estrategias que reconozcan la importancia de la reproducción social y defiendan los derechos laborales. Keywords: Domestic labor, Ecuador, Informal labor, Social security, Women workers Paid domestic workers are a significant percentage of the female labor force in Latin America, so it is important to have robust, systematic, and up-to-date information about their situation. This article is based on research conducted in Guayaquil, Ecuador, by a sociologist and a group of trained community organizers in collaboration with the Asociación de Trabajadoras Remuneradas Erynn Masi de Casanova is a sociologist at the University of Cincinnati and the author of Making Up the Difference: Women, Beauty, and Direct Selling in Ecuador (2011). Leila Rodriguez is an anthro- pologist at the University of Cincinnati and a research affiliate of the Central American Population Center at the University of Costa Rica. Rocío Bueno Roldán has a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Cincinnati. Richard Stoller is coordinator of selection and international programs for Schreyer Honors College, Pennsylvania State University. 717989LAP XX X 10.1177/0094582X17717989Latin american perspectivesCasanova et al. / FEMALE SALARIED DOMESTIC WORKERS IN GUAYAQUIL research-article 2017