servants

A servant is a person employed to perform tasks for another person or household. The term is historically associated with domestic service but can refer to staff in hotels, palaces, or institutions. In modern usage, the term is often replaced by domestic worker, employee, or staff, reflecting a broader and more equal labor relationship.

Traditionally, domestic servants included cooks, maids, nannies, butlers, footmen, gardeners, and chauffeurs. Duties varied by household but commonly included cleaning, laundry, cooking, child care, shopping, and serving meals. Living arrangements could be live-in or live-out; employment could be full-time, part-time, or seasonal. Wages and conditions depended on era, place, and employer.

Historical service networks depended on social hierarchies and can be linked to feudal or aristocratic households. In many countries, domestic service became one of the largest employment sectors for women in the 19th and early 20th centuries, often with limited legal protections. In contemporary contexts, terms like domestic worker emphasize workers' rights, and legal frameworks may govern minimum wage, hours, and safety. The rise of labor-saving technologies, changes in family structure, and immigration patterns have transformed the field, reducing or reshaping roles in some regions while expanding in others.

In culture, servants appear as characters in literature and film to explore class relations, dependency, and power. Ethical considerations today emphasize consent, fair pay, safe working conditions, and anti-trafficking measures.