Violence, Employment and Citizenship

Abstract

Political and socio-economic life in Goa manifests several paradoxes, which raise significant questions pertaining to the nature of patriarchy in a post-colonial society. The existence of a Uniform Civil Code in Goa, its small size, which makes for relative proximity between the people and their representatives, and progressive social legislation especially in the fields of education and health, have generally contributed towards relatively equal conditions of citizenship for women in the state. A puzzling paradox emerges, however, when one explores the forms of violence that the development patterns and the attendant structural asymmetries bring in their wake, giving rise to newer forms of gender injustice. This article explores one aspect of that asymmetry—the violence experienced by women in the unorganised sector in the course of their work. It argues that while violence is integral to their work, it goes unnoticed. These women are, therefore, doubly disadvantaged, as women and as workers, since they lack the organisational support and the grievance redress mechanisms that are available to women workers in the organised sector.