Gender and Globalization

Abstract

This article identifies the opportunities and constraints faced by female construction workers in urban India through empirical research conducted in the city of Ahmedabad. The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) conducted two surveys in 1998 and 2003 to understand the needs and priorities of construction workers in the context of economic globalization. A third survey was conducted in 2007 to assess the impacts of construction training programs conducted by the SEWA Housing Trust. While enthusiastically endorsing the role that training and certification can play in providing skilled women with quality employment opportunities, the author emphasizes the need for wider policy intervention at the state and national level to ensure that such programs have replicable, sustainable, and gender-equitable results.