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Field
Abstract
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Before
Digital jobs – jobs women can perform using their smartphones – may have the potential to alleviate some of the constraints of female labor force participation (FLFP) today. This study aims to show how providing newer digital job opportunities and paid work-from-home could affect female labor force participation. This randomized controlled trial based is conducted in Mumbai’s slum redeveloped colonies with around 3,800 households. It aims to provide evidence for understanding the difference in job offer acceptance rates among married women between offers for work-from-home (WfH) jobs and offers for (otherwise identical) local work-from-centers (WfC) jobs outside the home. Further, it alters the wages assigned at both locations to observe the difference in job take-up, among other intensive margin results. We observe how providing more suitable employment to women may change women’s employment status and job performance, if at all, and the effects of this employment on women’s overall agency, mental health, dignity, and social norms. This study also tries to further unravel the gender norms associated with women’s work in contexts where they are the strongest. By also interviewing husbands, we try to understand differences, if any, between husbands’ and wives’ perceptions on social acceptability of these new jobs and the gender norm where married women are not permitted to work, particularly for jobs where they can more than just some pocket money.
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After
Digital jobs – jobs women can perform using their smartphones – may have the potential to alleviate some of the constraints of female labor force participation (FLFP) today. This study aims to show how providing newer digital job opportunities and paid work-from-home could affect female labor force participation. This randomized controlled trial based is conducted in Mumbai’s slum redeveloped colonies with around 3,800 households. It aims to provide evidence for understanding the difference in job offer acceptance rates among married women between offers for work-from-home (WfH) jobs and offers for (otherwise identical) local work-from-centers (WfC) jobs outside the home. Further, it alters the wages assigned at both locations to observe the difference in job take-up, among other intensive margin results. We observe how providing more suitable employment to women may change women’s employment status and job performance, if at all, and the effects of this employment on women’s overall agency, mental health, dignity, and social norms. This study also tries to further unravel the gender norms associated with women’s work in contexts where they are the strongest. By also interviewing husbands, we try to understand differences, if any, between husbands’ and wives’ perceptions on social acceptability of these new jobs and the gender norm where married women are not permitted to work, particularly for jobs where they can more than just some pocket money. We further explore the mechanism behind any differences in the job's take-up from home or center.
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