Ms. Sneha Ramani will present her APS as per the details below:
Date: February 22, 2024
Time: 10:00am - 12:00pm
Title of the report: Livelihood Pathways of women construction workers during transitioning to skill-based job roles: Exploring the of Livelihood Pathways of precariousness (as experienced) during transitioning from unskilled to semi-skilled or skilled roles Women Construction Workers
Supervisor: Prof. Subodh M. Wagle
Co-Supervisor: Prof. Pankajkumar Sekhsaria
RPC Members: Prof. Satish B. Agnihotri and Prof Rahul Sapkal
Venue: Conference room No. 1 (Ctara Office)
Abstract
The construction sector in India, a complex interplay of organized and unorganized entities engaging in practices like contracting and subcontracting, significantly impacts the livelihoods of construction workers, notably women, who are predominantly perceived as unskilled laborers. The gendered division of labor categorizes tasks such as lifting and carrying as more suitable for women, underscoring a precarious form of employment that is temporary, insecure, and characterized by low awareness of labor laws. This precariousness, coupled with the industry's shift towards mechanization, poses significant challenges for women seeking advancement to semi-skilled or skilled roles (Srivastava & Jha, 2016; Moir, 2016).
Precariousness in employment is marked by a complex interplay of economic, temporal, social-protection and organisational factors, all of which contribute to the precariousness of their employment situation. Rodgers and Rodgers categorize precarious work into temporal, organizational, social protection, and economic dimensions, each highlighting different facets of precarious employment. The research uses these dimensions as a guiding lens to reveal the tapestry of precariousness they endure, which may be intensified by the conditions and norms of the household, and the construction sites. Here, the conceptual framework of Bourdieu-Sen Model of Livelihood Pathways is pivotal to recognize and extract the nature of precarious employment necessitates.
Bourdieu-Sen Model of Livelihood Pathways integrates Bourdieu's theories of habitus, capital, and field with Sen's Cooperative Conflict Theory to explore the dynamics of livelihood pathways. This combined approach aims to understand how individuals leverage their habitus and capital to navigate social fields, recognizing that livelihood pathways are shaped by ongoing struggles within social relations, offering a nuanced perspective on how people make decisions within the constraints and opportunities presented by their social environments.
The PhD research topic is to explore the livelihood pathways of precariousness (as experienced) that shape the precariousness of work from unskilled to semi-skilled and skilled roles. The intent is to describe the experiences of women construction workers in acquiring the job roles undertaken by women and their struggles of upward mobility of transitioning from unskilled to semi-skilled or skilled roles. The report is divided into 3 clusters which are – (1) Outlining the dimensions of Precariousness, (2) Conceptual Framework of Bourdieu-Sen Model of Livelihood Pathways, and (3) Concerns on Job positions of Women Construction workers