Labouring Women: Issues and Challenges in Contemporary India

Labouring Women

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.

Title: Labouring Women: Issues and Challenges in Contemporary India
Author: Praveen Jha , Avinash Kumar
Available: Amazon

About the Editor

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.