Piece Work And Feminization Of Informal Economy: Case Study Of Cholistani Women

Abstract

It is an accepted reality that woman plays an important part in the economic growth of a society. It has been well documented that there has been a steady decline in the low paid formal sector jobs for women, while the prevalence of low paid informal sector jobs are on the rise. Women’s contribution in the production process as principal producer of food products and services along with reproducers and managers of labor power, is crucial for the existence and maintenance of a social structure. The gradual political and economic integration of pastoral community of Cholistan desert into larger national economies has stimulated distinct divisions based on access to wealth and other resources among Cholistani pastoral nomads. The study utilized qualitative research method to explore the experiences of women involved in piece work production, in order to examine how various gender related ideologies in the communities had relegated women to lower tiers of the paid economic activities. Results were based on the information obtained from 10 women home based workers, supplemented with a focus group discussion and the narratives of 2 representatives of shop keepers. On the basis of thematic analysis it was concluded that the sexual division of labor within the work force of Cholistani community was not created by market economy, but it did create a system in which pre-existing gender distinctions were reproduced in the wage labor system.