Ms. Sneha Ramani will present her APS as per the detail below:
Date: 17th February 2025
Time: 1400 - 1500 hrs.
Venue: Conference Room No.1, C-TARA Office
Title: Navigating the Field of Construction Site: Construction (or Recognition) of Skill-based job roles and Livelihood Pathways of skill advancement for Women Construction Workers
Supervisor: Prof Subodh Wagle
Co-Supervisor: Prof Pankaj Sekhsaria
RPC Members: Prof Satish Agnihotri, Prof Rahul Sapkal
Abstract:
Skill is not merely a technical attribute but a socially constructed phenomenon, shaped by market demands, workplace norms, and power relations within the labour market. In construction, the absence of formal skill classification frameworks has led to informal hiring mechanisms where contractors, supervisors, and labour intermediaries (muqaddams) regulate skill recognition and access to skill-based job roles. These socially constructed processes reinforce gendered segregation, where men mainly work in skilled trades like masonry and plumbing, while women often remain confined to unskilled labour, despite engaging in skill-intensive tasks such as bricklaying and plastering.
The study explores how skill is socially constructed on construction sites and how this construction influences women’s pathways for skill acquisition or advancement. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice (1977), the research examines how capital, habitus, and the social field interact to shape livelihood pathways. Additionally, insights from the Social Construction of Skill framework (Steiger, 1993; Steinberg, 1990; Rigby & Sanchis, 2006) are incorporated to understand how skill is defined, recognized, and restricted through mechanisms of social closure.
This report presents preliminary fieldwork conducted across seven sites—six construction sites and one labour stand in Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (Labour Stand at Sector-6, Gandhinagar). The report incorporates a case of a woman construction worker, offering insights into her lived experiences and the challenges of navigating the labour market. Additionally, the fieldwork includes two interviews with contractors, who play a crucial role in defining skilled labour, hiring practices, and regulating skill acquisition pathways. The study also examines the labour stand at Sector-6, where daily wage workers gather to seek employment, revealing the informal hiring mechanisms that shape work opportunities.
The study follows a qualitative exploratory approach, utilizing a case study strategy. Semi-structured interviews with women construction workers will capture their lived experiences, while a coalesced case approach will examine arbitrators of skill across multiple sites to analyse how skill is defined and recognized. The research is positioned within the Transformative Paradigm, seeking to uncover systemic barriers in skill recognition and advocate for equitable access to skill-based job roles. By highlighting gendered exclusions and informal labour practices, this study contributes to policy discourse on skill classification and gender-inclusive pathways in the construction industry.