Determinants of Social Empowerment among Women Labour in Small-Scale Industries: Evidence from Central India

Abstract

This study investigates the determinants of workplace-based social empowerment among 444 women labourers employed in small-scale industries (SSIs) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, India. Using primary survey data collected through a structured interview schedule, non-participant observation, and focused group discussions, the study examines four empowerment dimensions: voice and participation, involvement in organisational decision-making, exposure to gender-based discrimination and wage disparity, and the role of skill training in career progression. Findings show that a majority of respondents (60.8 per cent) feel empowered to voice opinions at work and that women are perceived to participate in organisational decision-making in 75.2 per cent of cases; however, 58.1 per cent report having experienced gender-based discrimination and 37.4 per cent report gender-based wage disparity, revealing a coexistence of participatory gains with persistent structural inequity. Training emerges as the strongest positive correlate of empowerment, with 94.1 per cent of respondents having received skill development opportunities and over 80 per cent reporting a moderate-to-significant career impact from training. The study concludes that empowerment in the SSI workplace is unevenly distributed across its participatory and protective dimensions, and that training access, rather than formal decision-making inclusion alone, is the most consistent lever available to employers and policymakers seeking to advance women's empowerment in this sector.