Women labourers can be divided into three main categories based on their work:
- Self-employed: These women either work from home or outside the home. Many are street vendors, hawkers, or run small businesses. In 1987, over half (57.3%) of the total workforce was self-employed. However, this percentage has been decreasing in both rural and urban areas. Women in this category often face irregular income and challenging work conditions.
- Wage workers: These women work for wages either outside (as agricultural workers, construction workers, etc.) or inside the home (doing piece-rate work like making garments or bidi). Women involved in piece-rate work often lack rights, such as fair wages and social security benefits, and many employers take advantage of this. In the construction sector, the number of women wage workers increased between 1971-1981, especially due to public works programs aimed at reducing poverty. However, unemployment and underemployment rates are higher for women than men in this group.
- Unpaid family workers: These women help on family farms or in family businesses without pay. Their work is often unrecognized, and they work long hours, especially women from poorer households who face heavier workloads.
Women tend to enter the labour market later than men, and their participation in work is affected by factors like early marriage and childbearing. Many women also work from home, but their contributions are often invisible and unaccounted for in official statistics.
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