Title: An assessment of the situation of women home workers in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Authors: Soma Dey

Addresses: Department of Environmental Science, Stamford University, Dhaka 1217, Bangladesh

Abstract: As a result of the discriminatory social norms which restrict women's mobility and lack of formal work opportunities, a significant number of women in Dhaka city are involved in the informal home working sector. Although home working provides a significant means of survival for their families, these women are not recognised as workers and they are excluded from all the benefits enjoyed by formal workers. Following a mixed methods approach, this paper sheds light on the impoverished lives of the women home workers and their poor working conditions. The paper emphasises that state recognition and organisational support are required to change the precarious condition of women home workers in Bangladesh.

Keywords: informal labour force; gender division of labour; home-based working; female home workers; women home workers; Bangladesh; informal sector; poverty; working conditions; state recognition; organisational support.

DOI: 10.1504/IJGE.2015.067883

International Journal of Green Economics, 2015 Vol.9 No.1, pp.24 - 34

Published online: 08 Mar 2015 *

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