Women, Work and Vulnerability in Urban Unorgamosed Labour Market

More than 90 per cent of women workers in Uttar Pradesh are engaged in the informal sector due to limited employment opportunities in both rural and urban areas. The decline in agricultural employment for women and the insufficient growth of formal sector jobs have intensified this trend. Women in the unorganised sector constitute one of the most vulnerable groups, facing irregular work, low wages, limited bargaining power, lack of control over earnings, and restricted access to credit, training, and information. Their vulnerability is further compounded by unequal gender relations, as they must balance paid work with domestic responsibilities, often without adequate childcare support or social protection. The informal sector accounts for over 90 per cent of India’s workforce and contributes nearly 50 per cent of the national income (Committee on Unorganised Sector Statistics, 2012). However, employment in this sector is often insecure and poorly regulated. Since the economic liberalisation of the 1990s, the informalisation of employment has increased, leading to greater labour market vulnerability, particularly in urban areas. As a result, a large proportion of workers remain “working poor,” where employment does not guarantee protection from economic insecurity (Unni and Naik, 2013). The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has shifted from an enterprise-based definition of informality to a labour- and work- based approach, emphasising vulnerability as a key characteristic. It defines vulnerable employment as comprising own-account and unpaid family workers (ILO, 2012), though this excludes many wage and salaried workers who are also vulnerable when employed informally. In this study, vulnerability is understood as the lack of job security and social security benefits. It is measured using factors such as employment size, workplace, nature of contract, and access to social security and leave benefits. Existing studies, such as Bocquier et al. (2010) and Saunders (2003), have attempted to measure employment vulnerability using composite indices, but research on gendered vulnerability remains limited. Addressing this gap, the present study examines the vulnerability of women workers in the urban informal labour market of Uttar Pradesh. Using the definition provided by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS, 2007), informal workers are those employed in informal sectors or households, excluding workers with formal social security benefits. The study focuses on women engaged in wage and salaried employment (both regular and irregular) in urban Uttar Pradesh. Women workers’ vulnerability is a nascent area, and hence, this study could be highly meaningful for further work in this field and will fill the gap in the existing literature. The book contains nine chapters. The author is grateful to the ICSSR, New Delhi, for providing financial support to undertake this study. By analysing their conditions, the study aims to contribute to better policy formulation for improving the socio-economic status of women workers. Given the limited research in this area, the study provides valuable insights and helps fill an important gap in the literature.

Dr Nomita P. Kumar holds a Master’s degree in Economics from Lucknow University and a PhD in Economics from Giri Institute of Development Studies (GIDS), affiliated with Chhatrapati Shahu Ji Maharaj University, Kanpur. She was awarded the prestigious ICSSR Doctoral Fellowship at GIDS (1989–1991) and later received a UGC Fellowship for Post-Doctoral Research (2003–2006). With nearly 38 years of extensive experience in research and teaching, Dr Kumar has contributed significantly to various research projects sponsored by the Indian Council of Social Science Research, New Delhi, the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, U.P. Government, NABARD, and UNICEF. She also served as a Senior Research Fellow for the Second State Finance Commission under the Government of Uttar Pradesh. Her core research interests include employment and labour markets, gender issues, small-scale industries, regional disparities, and social issues affecting women and girls. Dr Kumar has authored numerous research papers published in reputed national and international journals, including Economic and Political Weekly, Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Indian Journal of Human Development, Indian Journal of Regional Science, Asian Economic Review, Productivity, Man and Development, and Madhya Pradesh Journal of Social Science Research. She has also authored three books: Women Entrepreneurship in the Urban Sector, Child Marriage and Its Consequences, and Indian Widows in Search of God. In addition, she has contributed several chapters to edited volumes, such as: • “Regional Disparities in Economic and Social Development” in Growth, Disparities and Inclusive Development in India: Perspective from the Indian State of Uttar Pradesh, edited by Prof. R. P. Mamgain (Springer, Singapore) • “Tracking Public Outlays on Health Care with Focus on Outcomes in Uttar Pradesh” in Health, Gender and Development: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives, edited by S. Siva Raju and T. V. Sekher (B.R. Publishing Corporation & IASSH, 2016) • “Outlays and Outcomes of ICDS as a National Flagship Programme in Uttar Pradesh” in National Flagship Programmes: Issues and Challenges (Academic Foundation, New Delhi) • “Policy Reforms and Small Enterprises: Entrepreneur Perceptions from Uttar Pradesh” in Micro and Small Enterprises in India: The Era of Reforms, edited by Prof. Keshab Das (Routledge India, New Delhi) She has also served as a reviewer for internationally recognized journals, including PLOS and PLOS ONE.