Evaluating the Legal and Policy Measures in Protecting Unorganised Domestic Workers in Delhi
| Published date | 01 December 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/00195561231166869 |
| Author | Skylab Sahu |
| Date | 01 December 2023 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Evaluating the Legal
and Policy Measures in
Protecting Unorganised
Domestic Workers in
Delhi
Skylab Sahu1
Abstract
Women’s economic independence is one of the main criteria for women’s empow-
erment and gender equality. Around 90% of the women in India work in the
informal sector. As per the estimation of the International Labour Organization,
over 20–80 million domestic workers operate in India. The Central and state
governments have taken various legal and policy measures to ensure the rights
of domestic workers. This empirical study in Delhi indicates that most domestic
help workers could not get the minimum wage. Their work remain uncertain
and insecure, and they lack access to welfare measures. Most strikingly, when a
considerable number of domestic workers face sexual harassment, they remain
unaware of legal safeguards and therefore cope with it on their personal levels.
Keywords
Labour, gender, informal, domestic workers, welfare, laws and policies
Introduction
Gender equality achieved through education, employment and other valued
resources has the potential to contribute to inclusive growth and development
(Kabeer, 2013). The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation stated
in 2017–2018, around 71% of Indian men and merely 22% of Indian women con-
stitute the workforce (for the category of 15 years and above) (Krishnan &
Sarravya, 2019). In patriarchal societies, economic independence ensures a certain
amount of freedom and control over money. It further provides women with an
Article
Indian Journal of Public
Administration
69(4) 903–914, 2023
© 2023 IIPA
Article reuse guidelines:
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DOI: 10.1177/00195561231166869
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1 Department of Political Science, Miranda House, University of Delhi, New Delhi, India.
Corresponding author:
Skylab Sahu, Department of Political Science, Miranda House, University of Delhi, G. C. Narang Road,
University Enclave, New Delhi 110007, India.
E-mail: skylab.sahu@mirandahouse.ac.in
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