Illusion or Realities: Workplace Experiences of Self-Employed Women

24 Pages Posted: 24 Jun 2015

See all articles by Mridul Maheshwari

Mridul Maheshwari

Indian Institute of Management (IIMU), Udaipur

Date Written: June 18, 2015

Abstract

Generally it is been considered that the work experiences of individuals to a great extent depends on the mode of their employment and self-employment has been argued to provide a sense of ownership, autonomy and status. This paper challenges this argument by investigating this reality through the prism of gender to understand if the gender of women and associated socially constructed meanings has any influence on the status, autonomy and sense of ownership of these women at work. The paper investigates this by capturing the workplace interaction experiences of women who are self-employed through qualitative engagements. The findings show that women and associated stigmas attached to them both in their social and work spaces doesn’t allow them to enjoy the freedom, status and ownership that typically is considered to be there for those who are working for self without rather than for others in their within structured work setup.

Suggested Citation

Maheshwari, Mridul, Illusion or Realities: Workplace Experiences of Self-Employed Women (June 18, 2015). Indian Institute of Management Udaipur Research Paper Series No. 2012-2171274, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2620156 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2620156

Mridul Maheshwari (Contact Author)

Indian Institute of Management (IIMU), Udaipur ( email )

Mohanlal Sukhadia University Campus
Udaipur, Rajasthan 313001
India

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