Faced with a major demographic imbalance, this country has seen the emergence of a new type of market: the rental of handymen. Behind this unusual name hides a real network of professional domestic services, ranging from plumbing to furniture assembly.
In this European country, daily household life is marked by a striking statistical reality: there are significantly more women than men, a trend which becomes more pronounced with age. According to data reported by The Economic Timesthere are only 85 men for every 100 women nationally. This imbalance, particularly marked after 30 and among seniors, has created a growing need for labor for tasks traditionally assigned to men in the collective imagination.
To meet this demand, local platforms such as Remontdarbi.lv Or Komanda24 have structured a range of local services called “husbands for hire”. The objective is simple: to allow a predominantly female or elderly clientele to delegate the technical maintenance of their homes. These professionals work in short time slots to carry out various interventions: plumbing repairs, carpentry work, painting or even installation of complex household appliances.
The growth of this home services sector is not limited to simple material repairs. Beyond the physical strength needed to move furniture or the technical expertise to manipulate electrical circuits, these “domestic companions” also provide a social mission. In a country where many women live in exclusively female social circles, the speaker sometimes becomes a confidant for the duration of a service, thus breaking the loneliness while making the home more functional.
This model, which combines quick DIY and personal services, illustrates how this country has succeeded in adapting the labor market to demographic challenges. By transforming “small repairs” into a structured and accessible service, these companies are redefining the standards of home help and residential maintenance.
But which country is this where you can hire a “domestic companion” by the hour? This is Latvia. However, this phenomenon is not limited to this country. Similar services exist elsewhere in Europe, notably in the United Kingdom with companies like Husband 4 Hire (literally a “husband to hire”) or Rent My Handy Husband (hire my handyman husband), which offer handyman services and can help the client with household or maintenance tasks.
If some consider these services to be pragmatic, they can also perpetuate certain gender stereotypes, such as the idea that DIY is the natural responsibility of men, while society has (fortunately) evolved in recent decades… The proof, in France, with for example the success of 100 women’s companies specializing in plumbing.
