Many women in the southern African nation are turning to domestic work as a result of the country's dire economic climate.

Living standards have not improved under President Emmerson Mnangagwa and prices have soared because of high inflation.

Lynette - who works in the capital, Harare and whose name has been changed to protect her anonymity - told BBC Focus on Africa radio about her experiences and what it was like to be in that in-between space of an employee but also a member of the family.

My boss is a very complicated person. You don’t know whether she is happy, whether she is sad.

I am a very talkative person, I am a very people's person, I love talking. It’s very difficult for me when I get to work and she’s in a mood and I don’t get to talk."

She explained that because she had been with the family for one and half years, her boss now "leaves" her to do most of the work, but carries out inspections at the end of the day to be sure it was done "properly enough".

She places things under the sofa or under the cushions... when I am done and she finds those things and she calls you and she says, 'Did you clean this room?" Then she says, 'You didn't, because I placed these yesterday.'"

Lynette believes domestic workers are not paid well-enough for the type of work they do.

There’s a baby involved. When you mention a baby, that’s work on its own.

People undermine you a lot, they tend to use you.

You are treated as a slave mostly."