Through the magnifying glass: Women's work and labour force participation in urban Delhi

Ratna M. Sudarshan · Shrayana Bhattacharya

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Gender, Labor, and Family Dynamics Employment, Labor, and Gender Studies Labour Market and Migration

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore the nature of women's workforce participation in urban Delhi through a household survey carried out in Delhi during a three month period between September 2006 and November 2006. It also attempts to identify key factors influencing women's decision to work, the type of work they do, the constraints they face, and the perceived benefits and costs of engaging in paid work outside the home. In doing so, issues surrounding the methodology and underestimation of women's work are also tackled. The survey estimates a greater female workforce participation rate than recorded in the NSS. This suggests that undercounting and perception bias can be overcome through intensive probing as was done here. A key finding is that most working women do not have access to paid leave or provident fund. This reflects the informality that surrounds women's work. The key factors which appear to push up women's workforce participation rates include higher education, reduction in time spent on housework (domestic technology, water and electricity, child care arrangements), and safety in public spaces (transport, lighting). Results stress the role of variables beyond the labour market and work space in influencing women's access to work opportunities. The time spent on care work is high, and working women are not able to reduce their house responsibilities very much. The results confirm that the decision to work outside the home is usually a function of the preferences of the marital home. The study suggests the need to understand the familial and household context within which labourmarket decisions are made. The role of family and kinship structures to determine women's work-life choices emerge as an important area for further study.

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References

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