Is Paid Work Always Empowering?

Some economists assume that paid work enhances women’s bargaining power, such that when women earn their own money they push for greater gender equality. Is that correct? Or is the impact of paid work mediated by social context? Vidya Mahambare and Sowmya Dhanaraj often fascinating insights into this question by exploring what happens when women from North India are recruited and then migrate to either rural or urban garment factories in Tamil Nadu. Listening to their work, I learnt how weaker control mechanisms in cities enable women to pursue wider friendships, explore new environments, and exploit diverse economic opportunities. Vidya Mahambare: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uxprEP4AAAAJ&hl=en Sowmya Dhanaraj: https://scholar.google.co.in/citations?user=6sBTLREAAAAJ&hl=en