Shram Jeevani: Special Task Force Report on Women’s Labor in the Informal Economy in Bihar

Abstract

The informal sector in Bihar is comprised of more than 13 million women workers, who have for ages been ignored and denied their due place in the economy and society. This is reflected in their health status as well. We know that more than 65% of the women in Bihar are anaemic and Bihar stands fifth highest in terms of the rate of maternal mortality. However, the health of women is promoted not only by the health care system available to them, but is closely connected to the social determinants of work, infrastructure and physical security, and cannot be looked at in isolation. The ‘Shram Jeevani Report’ is a joint endeavor of Self Employed Women’s Association of Bharat (SEWA) and the Government of Bihar, and it aims to provide a view from the ground up of the economy and society that frame the lives of these informal workers. The study report prepared by a Special Task Force set up in early 2012 uses mixed methods for data collection, including both qualitative and quantitative and combines fieldwork-based insights with official survey data. In its final form, the report acts as a strong advocacy document prioritizing the key concerns of informal women workers and provides a basis for further dialogues concerning policy intervention in distributive justice.