Abstract
This chapter examines how Indian women’s collective networks mobilize to accommodate their new identities as individualized workers in the transnational information technology industry while they retain their traditional place in the family. The information technology (IT) industry is considered a poster child for globalization in India. Its growth was facilitated by the economic reforms of 1991. Following these reforms, several multinational IT companies set up offshore development centres in India, while domestic companies developed an international network of clients and customers. The IT industry enabled India to enter international markets and Western companies to enter India. This led to the creation of a large number of jobs offering unprecedented salaries, exposure to international markets, and hi-tech work environments: a new sub-class was formed — the information technology workforce. The industry directly employs 1.6 million people while providing indirect employment to another 6 million in related industries (NASSCOM 2007). Women currently form about 30 to 35 per cent of the information technology workforce (see Nayare Ali, 2007 and Ramalingam, 2007). The IT industry aims to further increase their numbers.
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© 2012 Jyothsna Belliappa
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Belliappa, J. (2012). Mobilizing Collective Networks to Enable Individual Success: The Case of Middle-class Indian Women Employed in Information Technology. In: Afshar, H. (eds) Women and Fluid Identities. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137265302_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137265302_4
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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