Introduction

In the current era of globalization, firms in order to ensure profits, reduce labour costs and introduce flexibility. The recent trends in the Indian labour market towards informalization have been in line with these global changes and have raised questions regarding watertight compartments between formal and informal sectors. Much of the formal activities are now being carried out in the informal settings through traditional putting-out system and its new guise, the sub-contracting practices leading to proliferation of home-based work, most of which are undertaken by women. This pattern of labor market development and incorporating and recognizing these women into the fold of paid work has been termed by scholars as ‘Gender Reality’ of employment growth (Chen, Sebstad and O'Connell 1999, 604). This reliance on women workforce is because their participation in labour market is considered as more flexible. Home-based work absolves unionization and saves labour costs because of minimum wages that can be paid without any social security benefits. In addition to such sub-contracting, the ensuing segregation of jobs makes the home-based work most exploitative.

As a consequence of the continuous clouding of formal-informal work, the traditional dichotomy of public and private gets replaced by the intertwining of both the spheres. The blurring of boundaries between home and work has varied ramifications for women. One can argue that urban contexts would be relatively more liberal and accommodating of women workers as compared to their rural counterparts. However, the available evidences suggest that informalization and gender segregation in urban India have not shown any significant decline and socio-cultural constraints for women continue to remain subtly effective. Their manifestation are not as overt as is the case in rural India; they are nested within various layers, forms and conditions of work, creating gendered spaces within them.

It is within this framework that the chapter attempts to decode the nature of varied forms of work and gendered spaces that have evolved. It questions the often argued contention that access to employment would enable all women to be equally empowered and stresses that the occupational positioning in the labour market and socio-cultural factors such as marital status, generate differentiated gendered spaces as well as varied levels of empowerment.