It is well known that notions of work and employment in official data systems undermine women’s work. Difficulties abound with respect to the recognition and measurement of women’s ‘invisible’ work, made more complicated by distinctions such as paid and unpaid work; economic and non-economic activities; and market and non-market labour. All of this invisibilises and underestimates women’s unpaid and under-paid work.
While the gender gap in paid work has narrowed only slightly in developed countries, these have increased in ‘emerging economies’ such as India. Labouring Women explores these unfavourable trends and analyses the current position and condition of women’s work. It argues that despite the supposed development, policy changes and talk of equality, experiences of labouring women show that their challenges have multiplied, both at work and at home, with longer working hours and greater reliance on unpaid work.
Supplemented by detailed statistics, this volume examines critical issues faced by women workers at local and national levels, including: the dichotomy between paid and unpaid work; changes in wages and their links with policy reforms; women and land rights in India; changing patterns of women’s participation in work; a study of some women domestic workers in the NCR; and the real effect of policy reforms on the public workforce.
A major and significant volume that brings together debates on the conceptual and methodological issues around women’s labour, Labouring Women will interest scholars of sociology, economics, gender studies and development studies, as well as policymakers, NGOs, and international agencies such as the ILO.
Praveen Jha is Professor at the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning and Adjunct Professor at the Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Avinash Kumar is Assistant Professor at the Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.
Yamini Mishra is Director, Global Issues, Amnesty International, London, United Kingdom.
Introduction Praveen Jha, Avinash Kumar and Yamini Mishra
1. Women's Labour through Life Narratives Mary E. John 2. Time Poverty and Women’s Work Jayati Ghosh 3. Women's Participation in Domestic Activities: Leisure, Care Services and Status Production Vinoj Abraham 4. Capitalism and Unpaid Work in India: A Conceptual and Methodological Proposition Chirashree Das Gupta, Isha Ralli and Mohit Gupta 5. Exploring Paid and Unpaid Work Dichotomy: A Care–Employment Perspective Neetha N. 6. Labour Relations within the Household: A Study of Women Domestic Workers in the National Capital Region Archana Prasad and S. Krithi 7. Labouring Livelihoods: Vulnerabilities and Visibilities in Women's Labour and Livelihoods Ritu Dewan 8. Back to the Barracks: Changing Pattern of Women's Work Participation in India Nisha Srivastava and Anjor Bhaskar 9. Public Investment towards Promoting Women's Livelihoods: An Assessment Kanika Kaul and Saumya Shrivastava 10. Women and Common Property Resources: Towards Innovative Practice Beyond 'Participation' Sumi Krishna 11. Women and Land Rights in India: Towards a Democratic and Gendered Formulation of the Land Question Smita Gupta 12. New Cartographies of the Digital Commons: Going by Feminist Wisdom Anita Gurumurthy
Notes on the Editors and Contributors Index