As our second Women@Work series comes to a close, here’s a look at what must be fixed so that women can participate more fully in the economy, and exercise their rights and agency
Durga Devi wakes up at 5.30 am to finish off cooking and cleaning for her family before starting work at 8.30 a.m. On returning home in the evening, she makes dinner and attends to her children. “I do not get any holidays, even on weekends,” she told
IndiaSpend over the phone. “When it comes to children’s exams or school issues, I have to take the day off from work and I lose pay for it.”
It is also not surprising to find more women in jobs on the lower-income spectrum. “Ragpickers and domestic help are mostly women,” said Ghosh. “There is an increase in informal factory work but women are still a minority, given the broader decline in recognised employment.”