March 11, 2004

Self-employed women in the informal sector lack formal training, adequate skill training needs to be provided for them at a community based level either through government or social welfare efforts, writes Dr Sabeena Jalal Khan

Pakistani women’s participation in the labour force continues to rise but instead of permanent, full-time employment they prefer to work at home or be self-employed in the informal sector. This growth of atypical forms of work reflects the flexible employment relations that is needed to allow enterprises to adjust or adapt to changing economic environments. Perhaps the “non standard” forms of work meets the needs of women workers. These women struggle against the many constraints and limitations imposed on them by society and the economy.

Dr Nasreen Ayub, associate professor at the women’s studies department of Karachi University, carried out a research on the topic of self-employed women of the certified informal sector in Karachi. The study was conducted on 265 respondents engaged in various types of works. It covered around 80 katchi abadis (squatter settlements) of Karachi and its suburbs.

These women confer significantly towards the economic development of society. They come from working class families whose men are also the breadwinners. but their financial contribution towards their family income has enabled them to enhance their own, and their families’, status.

The wages earned by some of the women in the following activities are broken down as follows:

In broom making they are paid Rs5 per dozen and they make about four dozen per day, hence they make about Rs20 per day. In bead necklace making they earn one rupee per necklace and make 12 necklaces a day, hence earning only Rs12 per day. For making papadum, they make Rs11 for every 500 pieces, and they make1500 a day, for which they earn Rs33 per day. For painting glass bangles, they get Rs5 per box of two dozen bangles and as they are able to paint 10 boxes of bangles a day, they make Rs50 day.

Let’s consider some of the case studies done by Dr Ayub. Nineteen-year-old Najma lives with her parents and an older sister in Old Golimar. Her father is a labourer and makes Rs800 while Najma stuffs toys with her mother. She earns Rs1,600 per month, and her sister who teaches in a school brings home Rs600 per month. So the aggregate earning of the family comes to about Rs3,000 per month.

They live in a pucca house with a tin roof built on 60 sq yards, it has electricity but no gas. The family has been able to acquire a TV, an iron, fans and a sewing machine with Najma’s proceeds. She started work when they were finding it hard to make ends meet.

Najma gets Rs30-60 per toy item. She works for 12 hours a day which is not so taxing as compared to other women. She is conscious of the fact that her toys are sold for a much higher price, but she needs what she gets and is laying the money aside for her older sister’s wedding.

Najma feels that her working for the economic support of her family has brought her respect and recognition among the relatives and friends. She is also proud that had it not been for her contribution her family would not have been able to enjoy certain material comforts.

Ruksana is 30 and has six children. Her husband is a tailor and earns Rs2,200 per month. They have a pucca house, with a tin roof, on 60 sq yards. Ruksana makes flower garlands and earns Rs2,100 per month. The children go to school and in their spare time they assist their mother.

Ruksana started working because her family was economically strained. Ever since she began earning she has bought several appliances like a TV, essential furniture, a sewing machine and a washing machine. She feels that she is economically more independent now and has a say in planning the expenditure.

She knows that her work is sold at a much higher price in the open market, but she knows there isn’t anything she can do about that. She thinks she is keeping better health since she began working, and the family can afford better food now. Ruksana says that other women belonging to the similar echelon should also work to alleviate the economic status of their family.

Gaitee, 58, is a widow with two sons who are married and living independently. She lives alone in a 40 sq yard pucca house with a tin roof. She has been living in this house (basically a room with a bathroom and no separate kitchen) for 20 years. The house has no gas so she cooks on a kerosene oil stove. She fetches water herself and buys her groceries also.

Gaitee does not possess a lot of domestic appliances. As a papadum maker, she earns about Rs280 a month. She has to support herself since her sons do not take care of her.

Despite this, Gaitee believes that ever since she began working, she has become independent and is also content. She disburses her earnings on herself and resides as she pleases without any intervention. She reflects that women should not feel helpless even if they are widowed or do not have sons, because at times even sons do not look after their parents, and hence if they are working, the women do in all probability feel far more self-reliant and secure.

Saeeda, 50, lost her husband 15 months ago and was at first in a quandary. She resides in a hutment and has a son who goes to school, as she wants him to get proper education. She has taken electricity from the neighbour and pays him monthly.

Saeeda stitches shalwar kameez suits for her livelihood and earns about Rs1,680 a month. She goes from house to house and collects orders, knowing full well that she is paid much less than what tailors make. She is not satisfied with her income because she cannot save anything for her son and says that she needs help from zakat donations. She is planning to work in collaboration with other women so that they can get larger orders and earn more.

Rukhsar, 30, lives in a room in her brother’s house. She has been married for nine years and has two sons and her husband knits carpets; he earns Rs60 per day. Rukhsar prepares the inside lining of leather caps and Rs50 per day.

It takes her approximately 12 hours of work every day. She spends her income on household items, providing for her children’s needs and meeting emergency expenditure. Rukhsar got her room painted and bought a sewing machine from her own income.

Bano Bibi, 38, has eight children and a husband who is chronically ill. Bano runs a vegetable shop outside her house. Her husband gets the vegetables from the main market and Bano sells them at the stall. They own a pucca house on 40 sq yards and cook on coal.

Bano takes immense pride in the fact that she is a source of subsistence for her family in these hard times when her husband cannot earn. She is educating some of her children since with her meagre income she cannot educate all of them.

In Dr Ayub’s research, it was ascertained that about 52 per cent of women out of the sampled population did their domestic work in addition to shouldering the economic burden of their families. In the case of self-employed women it was seen that 84 per cent had fixed timings for labour while 16 per cent had no fixed timings. Fifty per cent worked from morning till evening while 33 per cent toiled from morning till night and 16 per cent worked from morning till midnight. The study revealed that 51 per cent were satisfied with their work because the money acquired from it helped at home; 62 per cent were satisfied because their work was done from home.

When asked if they were ashamed of having to work, it was interesting to note that none were. In fact, 71 per cent thought that there is no shame in hard work while 39 per cent said it was better to work hard than to beg. Of the rest, 20 per cent said that there was no alternative to work, whereas 9 per cent worked to educate their children.

About 72 per cent of the sample population indicated that they acquired confidence and comfort from their work. Either because they could spend the money according to their own will or because they have attained more respect in the family. Whereas 28 per cent gained no confidence, either because the husband is too dominating or the elders in the family make all the significant decisions.

Self-employed women are generally not aware of the ways in which the market works, neither do they know the proper rate of wages others get for similar types of work. This is usually due to the middle-man or the contractor who deliberately doesn’t disclose these facts, so that he remains at an advantage and can exploit these women. As a result the women are cheated out of their righteous share of payment.

It is interesting to note that the women, mostly poor, are not willing to accept any financial help from zakat or other social welfare agencies. Though Dr Ayub also discovered that they did not know much about bank loans which they can take on easy terms for small enterprises.

The study confirmed that self-employed women lack formal training and perform their work on a trial and error basis, or from whatever training they got from their mothers at home. Adequate skill training could be provided at a community based level either through government efforts or social welfare efforts. Dr Ayub also suggests that some sort of an infrastructure could be created which would bring such women together. Maybe an association of self-employed women could be made which would at some level succour them at least in some way.

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