Care arrangements and bargains: Anganwadi and paid domestic workers in India

Abstract. This article explores state and social understandings of care work in India by examining two categories of non‐family care workers – hired domestic workers and Anganwadi Workers/Helpers under the Integrated Child Development Scheme. Classified as “volunteers” in a government programme, the Anganwadi Workers/Helpers enjoy some social standing and relatively extensive unionization compared with domestic workers. Also, domestic workers have to make much harder trade‐offs between their family's livelihood and daily care needs. The economic undervaluation of the care work they perform, however, is common to both categories of workers.