Strained relationships between domestic servants (sirvientas) and female employers (patronas) are well reported throughout Latin America. Researchers stress that these conflicts arise from the economic exploitation inherent in relationships between women of distinct socioeconomic strata. This article explores causes of strain in relationships between sirvientas and patronas in Oaxaca City, a provincial capital in southeast Mexico, as well as factors that lead to more harmonious relations between these two classes of women. I argue here that positive relationships develop when patronas who themelves worked as sirvientas in order to finance their studies offer the same opportunities to their own employees.