Women's empowerment, work environment, and income: evidence from India

ABSTRACT

This study focuses on the implications of various work environments on women's empowerment based on a survey of women employed in various occupations in a remote urban area. The results reveal that women employed in employer's enterprise outside the employer's dwelling are more likely to make or influence financial and non-financial decisions within the household. These women are also more likely to influence social decisions outside the household. Women engaged with home-based traditional industries are less likely to influence decisions. Women associated with SHG, trust, voluntary organisations, or federations more likely to make or influence decisions. Access to alternative employment has a positive association with decision-making. Women employed in employer's enterprise outside the employer's dwelling and women not having any specific workplace are more likely to consider a different profession for their daughters.

KEYWORDS:

• Women's empowerment
• decision-making
• workplace
• income
• India

Acknowledgement

The author is thankful to Kutch Mahila Vikas Sanghathan (KMVS) for financial support. Staff members of KMVS along with Sakhi Sangini collected data for the project. The author is grateful to Late. Prof. Mukul Kumar and Prof. H S Shylendra from Institute of Rural Management Anand for their contribution to the larger research project.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1 Average exchange rate for 2016: 1 USD = Rs. 67.21

2 Women in female-headed households and nuclear families are more able to influence financial and non-financial decisions (Hanmer and Klugman 2016).

3 Membership in the association positively impacted empowerment in Bangladesh and Ghana (Kabeer et al. 2013).

4 The restrictions on movement are highest in upper-middle-income countries (Hanmer and Klugman 2016).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Kutch Mahila Vikas Sanghathan (KMVS).

Notes on contributors

Indranil De

Indranil De is an Associate Professor in Social Sciences and Economics in Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA), Gujarat, India. He holds a PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. His areas of interest are gender and development, institutional economics, political economy, and public policy. He has recently published a book Social Norms, Gender and Collective Behaviour: Development Paradigms in India with Palgrave Macmillan. He is editor of the International Journal of Rural Management. He has worked with United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), International Water Management Institute (IWMI), and different government departments and institutes in India as an investigator or consultant. He was also a Member of Expert Committee, National CSR Award 2018 and 2019, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government of India.