Why Should I Get Paid? Persistence of Unpaid Labour Among Two Generations of Women from Weaving Communities of Varanasi, India

Women play an important role in sustaining the weaving industry in India. However, their efforts and labour are often overlooked in economic surveys and intra-household economic dynamics. Using primary cross-sectional data, this article illustrates the prevalence and persistence of unpaid labour in the production realm of the weaving industry among two different generations of women, residing in the same household. The article draws on a mixed methods study conducted on 364 weaver households in Varanasi, India. The results suggest that 70.1% of women from Generation 1 and 78.9% of women from Generation 2 were involved in unpaid weaving work compared to only 0.3% and 20.7% of paid weaving work respectively. The qualitative findings suggest that women’s notions about their unpaid work in the production realm are strongly influenced by the assumptions that unpaid weaving work is equivalent to household chores and hence is not ‘real work’. Several reasons such as social norms, poverty, unawareness and normalcy, and lack of other occupational choices further promote the persistence of unpaid work among women, irrespective of time and space. In conclusion, the article calls for making possible progressive connections between women’s empowerment and financial independence through their engagement in the weaving industry.