Aibileen is Elizabeth Leefolt's maid and nanny to May Mobley Leefolt. As nanny she is much more a mother than Lizzie. Aibileen has raised 17 children during her years as maid, but her own son was killed in a factory accident. Aibileen agrees to help Skeeter write her newspaper column, but the interviews soon become focused on the life of a maid in Jackson. Aibileen opens an entire new world for Skeeter. She convinces some of the other maids to participate in Skeeter's interviews, but is punished for her straying from the role of a good maid at the end.