Dated term for a female domestic servant, common in historical or period contexts. In modern Japanese, メイド or 家政婦 are more typical.
江戸時代の商家では、下女が家事をしていた。
In merchant houses of the Edo period, maidservants did the housework.
servants; maids and manservants
Compound of 下 (ge, 'lower') and 女 (jo, 'woman'), literally 'lower woman', reflecting historical social hierarchy. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.