DOMESTIC WORK OR WORKING AT INFORMAL SECTOR: A STUDY OF WOMEN IN SEMNAN

Abstract

Purpose: Present study aims to seek the reason why some women are working in the informal sector while the payment is meagre and there is neither insurance nor any bonus.
 Methodology: Answering the above question, a mixed-method was designed (Grounded theory and survey). Data was gathered by using semi-structured interviews and questionnaires. Due to research limitations, quota sampling was used. During this research, 14 interviews were conducted with employed women in the informal sector. Discussions were open-ended. In addition, 180 questionnaires were filled out by participants.
 Main findings: Findings indicated that these women have to choose between unpaid, endless domestic work and complex low-wage employment in the informal sector. They have to work because they want to have autonomy, and they feel a responsibility towards their family, especially their children. Despite the low payment, their job brought about a sort of empowerment for them. Working in the informal sector let them support their family and achieve emotional capital. If they do not work in the informal sector, they have to work at home as an unpaid worker of their family.
 Application of the study: Women's employment in the informal sector has increased quickly during recent years, so examining their working conditions, especially from the point of view of salaries and benefits, can be effective in improving their living conditions
 Novelty/Originality: The reason for the increase in demand for work in the informal sector, especially by women, is an issue that has never been explicitly addressed.