Women’s Work and the Built Environment: Lessons from the Slums of Calcutta, India

Using a theoretical framework that reveals the interconnections between spatial categories and gender needs, this paper addresses the issue of spatial confinement and spatial segregation as it relates to employment opportunities for women in the slums of Calcutta, India. Based on a qualitative study of the lives of 63 women living in five settlements in Calcutta, this study analyzes women’s wage-work, and the factors shaping women’s productive work choice. Grounded in the understanding gained from this study, this paper concludes with some policy recommendations which have relevance to the development of women centered programs across a range of developing countries.