THEORISING GENDERED MOTIVATIONS TO STREET VENDING: A STUDY OF WOMEN VENDORS IN DELHI, INDIA

The informal economy is characterised by severe decent work deficits that disproportionately impact women (ILO, 2002a, 2013c). This research identifies multiple dimensions of gendered segmentation within the street vending sector in Delhi arising from an interplay of structural factors experienced differently by women across the life course. Analysis of 105 semi-structured interviews with vendors in Delhi highlights the role of patriarchal norms in public and private spheres in structuring womens entry into street vending. Key issues to access jobs in the formal sector include the patriarchal norms, stigmatisation and societal expectations that limit womens access to education, their ability to work and the type of work they engage in, thus creating segmentation in the labour market. This study concludes that the structural conditions lead to transitions, life events and turning points in womens lives, determining their access to employment in the formal or informal sector.