Exploitation and Liberation: Case Study of Women Workers in Surat’s Unorganised Sector

Based on an empirical study, this article narrates the condition and status of women workers engaged in the unorganised sector in Surat. The city, considered Gujarat’s economic hub and business capital, is known for its small- and medium-scale industries (SMSIs) especially those connected with weaving, dying-printing, embroidery and diamonds. A number of non-industrial, informal sector livelihood activities, known as the fringe sub-sector, are integrated with the city’s main industrial activities. Studies reveal that a high number of migrant workers from all over India eke their livelihood from this wide spectrum of economic activities combining both these sub-sectors in which women constitute a significant proportion of this workforce. The article firstly describes their demographic profile as well as their working conditions. It also takes into account not only their contribution in terms of an economic income but also outlines their impact in the social sphere. The article argues that though the work milieu of the unorganised sector is as exploitative and oppressive for women workers as it is for men, to a certain extent there is an element of liberation for women in their social existence.