visiting maid; dispatched housekeeper
Historical term for a maid or housekeeper sent out by an agency to work in private homes, common in early to mid-20th century Japan.
The dispatched housekeeper was a common occupation in prewar Japan.
Compound of 派出 (dispatch) and 婦 (woman, lady), literally 'dispatched woman'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term reflects the practice of agencies sending female domestic workers to households.