Pathways of harm and benefit: A fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis of work and living conditions of child domestic workers in Liberia

Estimates suggest that globally there are approximately 17.1 million child domestic workers, a majority of whom are female. Child domestic work is widely associated with abusive working and living conditions. At the same time, studies indicate that some young workers report meaningful benefits. Yet, little research has systematically examined the full spectrum of harms and benefits experienced by child domestic workers, or employed advanced measurement approaches to assess how their living and working conditions affect health and well-being. This study applies fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) as a methodological innovation for examining child domestic work and the influence of living and working conditions. Data were drawn from 1088 child domestic workers from Liberia. Eight protective and risk factors (e.g., access to education, exposure to violence) were used as conditions in fsQCA models to identify configurational pathways leading to either beneficial or harmful outcomes. Three pathways consistently associated with harmful outcomes and six distinct pathways linked to beneficial outcomes were identified. Across the beneficial pathways, three conditions proved particularly influential: no exposure to isolation, no exposure to physical and emotional abuse, and access to schooling. Key contributors to harmful outcomes included no freedom of movement, poor nutrition, and no access to schooling. Our analysis highlights the conditions most critical to avoiding harm and maximizing benefits for children engaged in domestic work. Future research on child abuse, neglect, and child labour should incorporate measurement approaches that capture these pathways to both harm and benefit among child domestic workers.