EMERGENT GENDER RELATIONS IN FEMALE EMPLOYMENT WITHIN THE SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN RURAL INDIA

Authors

  • Sanghamitra Kanjilal Bhaduri "University of Calcutta", Department of Economics

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26458/1727

Keywords:

Gender Relation, Female Labour Force/Work Force Participation, Social Hierarchy.

Abstract

The paper has presented an empirical picture of inequalities, both within and outside the labour market for women, from gender relations emerging within the framework of overlapping social stratification in rural India. Analysis is based on secondary data, where the emphasis is not only on measurement of quantitative variables, but also on the interactions between various qualitative, socio-economic and socio-cultural variables. Main finding of the present study is that the participation of women in labour force varies across economic classes, social groups, religions, regions and the rural urban divide. Factors determining labour supply decisions of women are different from those of men. Interconnectedness of female employment with other social parameters which are outside the realm of the standard labour market analysis gets highlighted in the study.

Author Biography

Sanghamitra Kanjilal Bhaduri, "University of Calcutta", Department of Economics

 I am a PhD scholar at the Department of Economics, University of Calcutta, India. I have an interdisciplinary academic and research training. My qualifications: a PhD in Labour Economics with specialisation in gender employment (thesis submitted, awaiting viva-voce), an M.Phil in Gender Economics with research focus on female employment under structural adjustment policies in developing countries (using World Bank data), a Masters in Monetary Economics and a Bachelor degree in Economics {(and Statistics) Honours} with Mathematics and Political-Science provide me a capability of pursuing research or teaching in multi-dimensional areas of social sciences.My broad research interests are in Labour Economics with a focus on Gender and Development, Applied Econometrics for empirical research work is what interests me most. I undertook my PhD research at the Department of Economics, Calcutta University, India. I was successful in securing the Doctoral Fellowship from the Institute of Development Studies Kolkata (IDSK) from December 2013 to November 2016, under the supervision of Prof. Ishita Mukhopadhyay. My doctoral research has been in Labour Economics with a specialisation in gender employment. I have submitted my thesis titled ‘Gender Relations in Employment under overlapping class, caste and community identity’, on 7th December 2016. I expect to complete and be awarded the degree by August-September 2017. In my Phd, I studied the emergent gender relations in employment process under the social hierarchy and interaction of class, caste and religion in Indian economy. I have used Employment-Unemployment Survey data provided by National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), under the aegis of the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI). I strived to examine individual level data and determine if the gender relations emerging thereof are in favour of women or not. I had also applied suitable econometric methods to the very large data set and analysed results within the perspective of feminist studies and economics. Results shows that the overlap of class, caste and religion manifest multidimensionality in the participatory process in employment. Relegation of women to unpaid work is a major issue which needs to be considered. Regional differences in the pattern of female labour force participation are significant. Social and cultural factors remain the principal driving forces of keeping women outside the labour force. The overall picture that emerges is one of greater disadvantage for women workers in general and those belonging to rural areas. My thesis has contributed to the literature on female labour supply decisions by delving into the qualitative aspects of determining the factors which influence such decision-making process. I have shown in my thesis, with the use of ‘intersectionality’ that quantitative measure of levels of female labour force participation are not enough to study the plight of women or their employability aspects. I have presented my PhD research at the National Seminar organised by NSSO, MoSPI, on July 2015, held in Benaras Hindu University. My paper was selected for publication in the compendium issue of NSSO (Kanjilal-Bhaduri & Mukhopadhyay, 2015).  In addition, a part of my PhD work has been selected for presentation at the Regulating for Decent Work (RDW) conference of ILO, Geneva on 3-5th July, 2017.  The paper is entitled, “Paid Unpaid Work Within the Interactions of Social Hierarchy: A Study of Rural India”.My PhD training has honed and sharpened my research skills. Attending regular seminars, making presentations, report submissions and taking part in extremely educative workshops on research methodologies organised at the institutions has helped me in framing and executing my research. I can work well with research teams as evidenced by my existing collaborations with colleagues at IDSK and Calcutta University. In sum, I believe that my qualifications and research experience will make me an excellent fit to submit papers for the journal and to be a reviewer. 

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Published

2017-06-30

How to Cite

Bhaduri, S. K. (2017). EMERGENT GENDER RELATIONS IN FEMALE EMPLOYMENT WITHIN THE SOCIAL STRATIFICATION IN RURAL INDIA. Annals of Spiru Haret University. Economic Series, 17(2), 103–126. https://doi.org/10.26458/1727

Issue

Vol. 17 No. 2 (2017)

Section

DOCTORAL AND POSTDOCTORAL PAPERS