Social status and women’s work in urban India: A closer look at occupations

Abstract

In rural India, where landed, upper-caste women traditionally did not perform wage work, female labor force non-participation signals social status. In this paper I explore the ways in which urban India may be different given that urban India has more industrial variety and a greater concentration of high-skilled jobs. I propose that the relationship between female labor force participation and familial social status depends on the kinds of jobs women can access. Indicators of social status – household wealth, education, and caste – are all positively correlated with female participation in well-paying, high-skilled occupations, and negatively correlated with female participation in low and medium-skilled occupations. I cite three separate but interrelated reasons for this. First, high wages and other favorable job characteristics might incentivize female labor force participation even with high or improving socio-economic status. Second, high-skilled jobs accrue social respect rather than signal financial need. Third, women of a high social status have greater access to well-paying jobs because of social networks and higher college graduation rates.