Survival to Dignity? The Precarious Livelihood of Street Food Vendors in South Mumbai and Their Path Toward Decent Work

Street food vending is a crucial part of South Mumbai’s urban informal economy, but is often precarious, unrecognized and unprotected. This study explores the livelihood strategies of South Mumbai’s street food vendors and their complex pathways toward seeking to survive and gain dignity through engaging in decent work. Through a mixed-methods approach, we selected vendors (N = 120) through a systematic random sampling process who participated in semi-structured interviews and a focus group (one) discussion. Descriptive statistics and linear regression methods were applied to analyze the quantitative data, alongside qualitative narratives describing these vendors lived realities. Using the dualism, legalism, and structuralism perspectives of the informal economy, our findings revealed structural inequalities, financial insecurities, and regulatory barriers that mitigate stability. However, the use of social networks, informal credit, and collective strategies for coping under stress illustrates resilience. The urgency of reformed policies to support vendors, including licensing reforms, social protections, and progressive/engaged city planning, is highlighted in our findings, which provide support toward the change in street food vending from survival to dignity, in support of the ILO’s Decent Work Agenda.