THEME OF THE FORTNIGHT
URBAN LIVELIHOOD AND GENDER INCLUSION
REPORTS
Young Urban Women: Life Choices and Livelihoods
Authors: Action Aid India and Human Dignity Foundation
Publication Details: Action Aid India and Human Dignity Foundation, 2018
This report explores the lived realities of 2,800 young urban women living in poverty in India, with a focus on improving their dignity through enhanced economic independence, bodily autonomy, and greater participation in leadership and decision-making spaces. Over three years, the project aims to promote Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and foster empowerment through campaigning and solidarity. A comprehensive baseline survey, combining policy analysis and empirical data, sheds light on the challenges faced by these women—ranging from access to basic and advanced services, conditions of decent and unpaid work, participation in women's groups, to availability of sexual and reproductive health information and services. The findings aim to inform strategies that strengthen the voices and agency of young urban women in India.
Read More: https://www.actionaidindia.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/YUWP-Report-Web-version-small.pdf
India Wage Report: Wage Policies for Decent Work and Inclusive Growth
Authors: International Labour Organization
Publication Details: International Labour Organization, 2018
This report provides an overview of recent trends in wages, including wage gaps between different categories of workers, gender wage gaps, wages by sector and occupation, and trends in wage inequality. It analyses the existing market labour institutions and framework; particularly focusing on minimum wages and collective bargaining, and provides policy-oriented recommendations.
RESEARCH PAPERS
Job Opportunities Along the Rural-Urban Gradation and Female Labor Force Participation in India
Authors: Urmila Chatterjee, Rinku Murgai, Rama, Martin G.
Publication Details: Policy Research Working Paper, No. WPS 7412, World Bank Group, 2015
The paper challenges the commonly held view that rising rural incomes in a patriarchal society are the primary reason for the recent decline in female labour force participation in India. Instead, it highlights the need to consider local labour market dynamics, particularly the collapse of farming jobs without the creation of alternative employment options deemed suitable for women. Using a novel method to analyze employment structures across a six-level rural-urban spectrum, the study finds that local job availability, rather than the place of residence, is a stronger determinant of female labour participation. It also accounts for potential misclassification of urban areas and confirms its findings through robustness checks, alternative definitions, and sub-sample analyses. The paper concludes that reversing the decline in women’s labour participation requires substantial job creation.
Livelihoods in COVID Times: Gendered Perils and New Pathways in India
Authors: Bina Agarwal
Publication Details: World Development, March 2021
This paper argues that understanding the gendered impact of livelihood loss due to COVID-19 requires examining not only the direct effects on women’s earnings but also the indirect consequences on intra-household dynamics and vulnerabilities—such as food insecurity, depletion of savings and assets, social isolation, and restricted mobility. These risks are faced not only by women who lost paid employment but also by those engaged in unpaid work on family enterprises that have been severely affected. Furthermore, women often bear the brunt not just of their job losses, but also of male unemployment and return migration from cities to villages, which can lead to occupational crowding, increased domestic responsibilities, hunger, and domestic violence. However, the experience of women-centric groups in states like Kerala shows that outcomes have not been uniformly negative. Drawing on telephonic surveys and emerging evidence from India, the paper explores both the direct and indirect impacts of livelihood loss on women—particularly in poor households—and highlights the potential of women-led group approaches in shaping alternative developmental trajectories.
Elucidating the Women’s Work Continuum in India Using Time-use Data
Authors: Aishwarya Rajeev, Dipa Sinha
Publication Details: Area Development and Policy 9, No.2, 2024
This paper advocates for a holistic understanding of women’s work by framing it along a paid–underpaid–unpaid continuum, thereby recognising the full extent of work burdens across both productive and reproductive spheres. Using unit-level data from the India Time-Use Survey (2019), the study illustrates this continuum and highlights the disproportionate burden of unpaid household labour borne by women across various employment categories and economic activities. The analysis, which controls for other influencing factors, reveals that women from marginalised castes and lower-income groups are more likely to engage in unpaid work. Additionally, marital status and rural-urban location significantly affect the likelihood and amount of time women spend on unpaid activities. The paper highlights the importance of viewing women’s work through the lens of both the work continuum and intersectionality.
Read More: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23792949.2023.2270044
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