Women s Work, Welfare and Status-Forces of Tradition and Change in India

Forces of Tradition and Change in India Kalpana Bardhan The first three Sections of this paper are about how work is structured in relation to poverty and hierarchy: the differentials in quantity and quality of work participation; the inequalities in work options, in remuneration, in access to the means and opportunities for better work; and in the organised bargaining capacity to change the terms of existing employment. The central question is how patriarchy combines with the caste-and-class hierarchy to sustain the segmentation of the labour market and the inequities in access to the means and resources for work.