Sanmati : Reimagining Digital Work for Women in the Data Economy
Project Lead
Project Team
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The Opportunity and the Challenge
The global shift toward a digital economy is redefining how work is created, performed, and valued. In India, this transformation is accelerating, driven by a young, tech-savvy population and a projected digital growth of $1 trillion by 2029 (ICRIER, 2025). Yet, as digital platforms and AI-powered services expand, so do the gaps—especially for women.
Digital work within data value chains—including data collection, labeling, moderation, curation, and deployment in AI systems—represents a fast-growing frontier of opportunity. But access to these opportunities is not equally distributed. Deep-rooted social norms, limited digital literacy, infrastructural gaps, and systemic exclusions continue to keep many women on the sidelines.
Digital work, while flourishing in India, lacks rigorous research, with little agreement on how to define concepts like data value chains or micro work —and even less attention to how women, particularly those in rural and underserved regions, can be equitably integrated into these systems of value creation.
Research
Questions
Introducing Sanmati (सन्मति)
Sanmati is a multi-partner initiative that aims to reimagine how women can engage meaningfully in India’s evolving digital economy. Sanmati 1.0 was launched by Karya in 2022 to generate digital work opportunities for low-income women while addressing gender bias in multilingual data.
Through this initiative, we are:
- Mapping and analyzing the structure and scope of data value chains in India and globally
- Identifying inclusive and ethical digital work models that expand opportunities for women
- Understanding the barriers and enablers to women’s participation in digital work
- Reviewing relevant policy frameworks and skilling ecosystems
- Building a typology and taxonomy for categorising digital work and workers
- Co-designing interventions and piloting solutions with partners on the ground
The research will combine literature and policy reviews, qualitative fieldwork, and interviews with platform operators, digital workers, community organizations, and innovators.
Why This Matters
India is on the cusp of an AI and data-driven transformation. The data labeling and annotation market alone is projected to reach USD 17 billion by 2030 (GrandViewResearch, 2022). But unless we build inclusive pathways into these sectors, we risk replicating the same patterns of exclusion that have marked previous waves of technological change.
Introducing Sanmati (सन्मति)
Sanmati is a multi-partner initiative that aims to reimagine how women can engage meaningfully in India’s evolving digital economy. Sanmati 1.0 was launched by Karya in 2022 to generate digital work opportunities for low-income women while addressing gender bias in multilingual data.
Through this initiative, we are:
- Mapping and analyzing the structure and scope of data value chains in India and globally
- Identifying inclusive and ethical digital work models that expand opportunities for women
- Understanding the barriers and enablers to women’s participation in digital work
- Reviewing relevant policy frameworks and skilling ecosystems
- Building a typology and taxonomy for categorising digital work and workers
- Co-designing interventions and piloting solutions with partners on the ground
The research will combine literature and policy reviews, qualitative fieldwork, and interviews with platform operators, digital workers, community organizations, and innovators.
Why This Matters
India is on the cusp of an AI and data-driven transformation. The data labeling and annotation market alone is projected to reach USD 17 billion by 2030 (GrandViewResearch, 2022). But unless we build inclusive pathways into these sectors, we risk replicating the same patterns of exclusion that have marked previous waves of technological change.
Research
Questions
Policy
Implications
Shape the Future of Digital Work With Us
As we build new knowledge and test scalable models, we invite you to collaborate with us to shape the future of women’s digital work.
We are looking to engage with:
- Digital work platforms offering task-based or remote opportunities such as organisations offering task-based or micro work (annotation, moderation, data labeling)
- Social enterprises enabling digital livelihoods for rural and underserved groups
- Skilling partners and NGOs working on digital literacy and economic empowerment
- Innovators building ethical, gender-intentional models
contact@gxdhub.org to explore how we can work together.
