Moving towards empowerment: Migrant domestic workers in India

Thakkar, Shriya

doi:10.1080/12259276.2021.1957195

Cited by 4 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…Notably, the utility of mobile phones has been strongly felt by women in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) (Rotondi et al, 2020). Our ndings have been consistent with a range of studies that associated mobile ownership with greater autonomy, better labor-market prospects, and increased decision-making power within public and private domains (Hoan et IPV has been found to be most widespread within settings that premised upon restrictive gender attitudes (Thakkar, 2021) and thus, services such as mobile money and digital nancial literacy have been limited…”

Section: Utility Of Ownership Of Phones Against Vawsupporting

confidence: 85%

An investigation of the longitudinal association of ownership of mobile phone and having internet access with intimate partner violence among young married women from India

Thakkar

Muhammad

Maurya

2022

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Purpose We explored the prevalence of intimate partner violence (physical, sexual and emotional) and its longitudinal associations with the ownership mobile phone and internet access among married women within the context of India. Methods We used data from longitudinal survey “Understanding the Lives of Adolescents and Young Adults” survey (2015-16 and 2018-19). Descriptive and random effect regression analysis was used find out the respective results. Results The findings show that ownership of mobile phones and internet access rose from 36.2% and 3.7% in wave-1 to 54.3% and 27% in wave-2 respectively. However, despite increased ownership of technology, victimization as all forms of violence increases over time. It was found that women who owned mobile phones were significantly inversely related to the physical [Coef: -0.041; p < .001] and sexual [Coef: -0.024; p < .001] violence, compared to those who had no mobile phones. Women who had internet access were negatively associated with physical [Coef: -0.024; p < .001], emotional [Coef: -0.024; p < .001], and any form of violence [Coef: -0.024; p < .001] than their counter-parts. Conclusion The study findings underlined that internet and mobile phone services have been consequential in enhancing immediate safety and security in women’s lives. The results are important to practitioners, as they indicate that digital literacy among women should be promoted with immediate effect through the dissemination of workshops as well as strengthening access to mobile phones and internet. This, in turn, would be a huge boost towards women’s economic and social empowerment, particularly within the contemporary Indian context.

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Section: Utility Of Ownership Of Phones Against Vawsupporting

confidence: 85%

An investigation of the longitudinal association of ownership of mobile phone and having internet access with intimate partner violence among young married women from India

Thakkar

Muhammad

Maurya

2022

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“…This compliance, in turn, perpetuates male privilege and domination of women through multiple ways that run linearly aligning with the traditional Indian value system and beliefs. Earlier discourses in different contexts have also highlighted the persistence of gender inequality rooted in patriarchal power relations (Ellsberg et al, 2015; Hamdan-Saliba & Fenster 2012; Jewkes et al, 2015; Michau et al, 2015; Thakkar, 2021).…”

Section: Home and Housementioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Field Notes, June 2018) Delhi, the capital city of India is home to thousands of migrant domestic workers (DWs) like Shalu from various parts of India (Azeez et al, 2021;Deshingkar, 2022;Fernandes, 2021) who arrived in the capital either by themselves or through various surreptitious means (including trafficking; Jana et al, 2002). DWs in the context of South Asia continue to be a highly researched topic (Borah Hazarika & Das, 2021;Singh & Pattanaik, 2020;Thakkar, 2021Thakkar, , 2023Wasima & Rahman, 2022). International Labour Organization (ILO) (Blackett, 1998) defines a DW as "someone who carries out household work in private households in return for wages" (Blackett, 1998, p. 56).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Overlooked Realities: Reimagining “Home” and “House” Among Women Domestic Workers in India

Thakkar,

Smiley

2024

Violence Against Women

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Domestic workers (DWs) are integral to the daily lives of a significant portion of India's urban population, with an estimated 3.9 million individuals employed in domestic roles in urban areas, mostly women. This article explores the perceptions of home, house, and safe spaces among migrant women DWs in Delhi. Through in-depth interviews, it delves into their lived experiences as both breadwinners and survivors of domestic violence, revealing that (a) house and home are differently conceptualized by these workers; (b) their homes are perceived as warzones, reinforcing patriarchy through incidents of domestic violence and gendered subordination; and (c) women DWs navigate the complexities of conflicting identities as breadwinners and survivors within unequal gendered relationships.

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“…Participants' narratives reveal that their individual responses to exploitation and DV-circumvention, resistance and rebuilding-are not direct and distinct. In fact, they chose to navigate their immediate surroundings through tact, manoeuvring and patience (Thakkar, 2021) rather than subversion or open confrontation (Thakkar, 2018). Thus, on the one hand, women PDWs seem to internalize their employer's expectations of servitude towards them and accept their exploitative working conditions.…”

Section: Coping Strategies: Towards Resistance and Agencymentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploitation, Harassment and Violence: Lived Experiences of Women Paid Domestic Workers in India

Thakkar

2023

Journal of South Asian Development

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Women paid domestic workers (PDWs) form an integral part of the informal labour population constituting two thirds of the total domestic workforce in contemporary India. The sector of domestic work is largely stigmatized and is often synonymous with low occupational prestige, servitude and being ‘dirty’ and menial. Thus, women PDWs are often exposed to unpleasant working conditions in their employers’ homes as well as social surroundings. Further, many of these women are also victims of domestic violence (DV) in their own homes. This study shares the lived experiences of work-employer relationships, hostile work conditions and DV through the lenses of women PDWs’ narratives. The article also chronicles the women’s hardships, suggesting the exploitative nature of domestic work and how it exposes women PDWs to additional adversities in the form of discrimination and harassment in employers’ homes and DV within their own domestic setting. It concludes by showing a pattern of survival among these women who endure countless challenges within both the workplace and home and employ coping strategies to navigate hostile domestic environments. The findings offer crucial insights into the limits and capacities of women PDWs’ struggles.

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Moving towards empowerment: Migrant domestic workers in India

Cited by 4 publications

References 37 publications

An investigation of the longitudinal association of ownership of mobile phone and having internet access with intimate partner violence among young married women from India

An investigation of the longitudinal association of ownership of mobile phone and having internet access with intimate partner violence among young married women from India

Overlooked Realities: Reimagining “Home” and “House” Among Women Domestic Workers in India

Exploitation, Harassment and Violence: Lived Experiences of Women Paid Domestic Workers in India

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