The employment of domestic servants is a common phenomenon in
Nigeria, where vulnerable children are internally trafficked to work as domestic
servants in affluent urban households. While scholars have investigated the push
factors aiding the demand for child domestic servants in West Africa, attempts to
understand the dynamics underlying the demand are scarce. Hence, this study
investigated factors that propel demand for domestic servants in Oyo State. The data
were generated using both the quantitative and qualitative methods. The results show
three categories of employers: newly married women, married women with grown-up
children, and isolated widows and grandparents. The demand is driven by role
dualism, workload, and the need for companionship. The incipient decline in the
extended family structure of social exchange system (fostering) and preference for
“outsiders” rather than family members justify the demand for and use of domestic
servants. The study recommended welfare programmes targeted at demanding
households and an intervention strategy for the trafficked children.