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Soriyaan Kai Kaam Karein?: A study on adolescent girl workers in the construction sector of Salumbar block
According to the National Sample Survey (2010), the construction sector in India employs about 5.7 million women and girls7. It is the third largest employer of female labourers in the country, accounting for 5% of the total female work force8. It is now well established that women’s labour in the construction sector is beset with several disadvantages such as unequal pay and undervaluation of work. However, the particular experiences of adolescent girls working in the sector is barely understood. Within the larger category of female workforce, adolescent girls represent a segment of workers that are doubly invisible and vulnerable. This study explores the hidden world of Salumbar block’s rural construction industry, where adolescence in tribal girls intersects with informal labour markets9. The study touches upon many questions – What has triggered the labour market participation of these girls? What are the specific vulnerabilities faced by them? How do other the actors in their context view them? How does the agency and sexuality of adolescent girls interact with labour market’s extractive tendencies? Through in-‐‑depth interviews with 26 workers and contractors, the study attempts to offer a peek into the world of these young daily commuters. Investigators: Vikas Pathak, Prema Dhurve, Parashram Lohar, Payal Gandhi & Kamlesh Sharma
