Women in the Labour Market: Structural Constraints and Solutions towards Gender Equality and Empowerment

Abstract

Abstract Women’s ‘work’ can be seen as a continuum between paid work, unpaid wwork, and unpaid care work. Women in India are no different to their counterparts worldwide, as they struggle to juggle these domains, striving for a balance that allows them and their families to flourish. This struggle is underpinned and reinforced by two structural constraints: patriarchy, and the invisibility of women’s time as finite. It is also well known that women’s labour force participation in the Indian economy has seen a sharp decline in the last few years. This paper seeks to outline the ways in which women in India access, or are denied access to, the labour market. Drawing from primary research in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, this paper examines women’s labour market participation in the formal and informal sectors, showcasing how these two structural constraints intertwine to act as barriers to women’s access to the labour market, thereby causing segregation and overcrowding of women in informal sector employment, as well as low levels and dismal quality of employment for women. The paper then points to two potential solutions for tackling this persistent gender inequality in the labour market: (a) the 3R approach; and (b) providing ‘decent work’ for all.