The role and decision-making power of working women in families in New Delhi (India) in the 1991-2022 period

Abstract

Women in India from ancient to modern times, specifically before 1991, suffered from many disadvantages, prejudices, outdated customs and practices, gender inequality, child marriage, and prohibition of widows from remarrying, etc. However, since 1991, the Indian government has liberalized and restructured its economy, contributing to liberating and empowering women through some family policies. The role and status of women in the family and in society has thus been improved significantly. The article would like to analyze the changes in the role and status of working women in the family in New Delhi (India) in the 1991-2022 period through their decision - making participation in family matters. The article is based on the results of the survey conducted from February to June 2023, of 165 official and marginal female workers in public and private sectors in Delhi, India. The survey results show that the roles of women in the family have been confirmed through housework, full-or-part-time labor force participation, and community activity participation. Although working women are still in charge of household chores, there is a share of husbands and housekeepers in tasks, including cooking, cleaning the house, doing laundry, taking care of and educating children, and emotional connection between family members, which previously in patriarchal families, women had to be responsible for. Women are increasingly having a voice in the family and together with their husbands, they make decisions on all large and small tasks, act as the head of the household, have their names on real estate documents, and participate in community activities. Working Women become more independent in finance and participate in financial management in the family. Among the surveyed women, 78.1% are university degree holders. The survey results also show that 9.4% of them are the breadwinners (the main earners), and 12.7% of them have a higher income than their husbands’. The study has shown the changing role and status of women in the patriarchal families in New Delhi recently. The article contributes to identifying changes in the role and decision-making power of working women in the 1991-2022 period, thereby partly finding changes in the Indian family and society in New Delhi in the modern era.