Indian Institute for Human Settlements
Identify avenues to connect informal women workers in urban areas to platforms
Goal
This project examines how informal women workers use digital economy services and products, focusing on smartphone use and platform services for domestic workers, street vendors, and tailors. We assess household mediation in smartphone access and the role of institutional mediators, such as social enterprises, unions, and worker associations. Our goal is to inform the design of digital ecosystems and DPIs to enhance women’s skilling and employability.
Target
800 quantitative surveys, 35 in-depth interviews, 6 focused-group discussions.
Approach
- Determine the future role of mediators in a digital skilling and employability ecosystem by determining how women informal workers approach them for fraud, troubleshooting, and learning new skills
- Quantifying relationships between women and mediators (household, social enterprise, union, association) through in-depth interviews, quantitative survey with 800 informal women workers, and focus group discussions
Impact
- Quantify and characterise the use of smartphone and platform services within the household environment for informally working women
- Creating a roadmap for engaging institutional mediators in digital ecosystems around informal women workers’ skilling and employability
Geographies
States/UTs: New Delhi, Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu
Focus Areas
Digital access, digital livelihood