The Working Conditions of Construction Labourers (Women) in Ghaziabad District

Author: Meenakshi, R. C. Lal

Abstract:
The paper analyses the working conditions of construction labourers especially women labours of the Ghaziabad District, India. This study undertakes a survey of women construction labourers employed in various private as well as public projects in order to understand and collect data regarding their working conditions, socio economic status, safety and health and other aspects related to their work. By challenging their discursive construction as ‘unskilled’ they negotiate and interrupt the power structures or what Ong (1991: 297) calls ‘expand the space of political struggle in their everyday lives’. Here in the narrative of women’s acceptance of low wages and worse conditions of work one can see the gendered construction of women as ‘cheap’ and ‘docile’ constituting their identities as secondary workers. However, there were several instances of women’s resistance which represent disruptions to their constitution as secondary workers. This also clearly demonstrates the fragility of the boundaries of the GDL which need to be guarded by male workers as well to maintain the fiction of men as skilled and women as unskilled workers. Women work as unskilled labour and face several other difficulties in comparison to males. Sexual harassment, gender biasness, wage discrimination are the major factor due to which the working environment becomes difficult for them in the industry and women’s are remains at same level of skill even after working few number of years

Keywords:SEWA, WIEGO, ILO

DOI:

International Journal of Trade & Commerce (Vol: 5 Issue:1)