ABSTRACT The massive spurt in rural labor migration has led to urbanization in contemporary India. While research on gendered migration of informal labor focuses on male-outmigration and views women as “passive followers,” this study draws on the narratives of women domestic workers in Delhi to explore how they emerge as breadwinners within their households and how this sudden transformation of employment status impacts their position in their households. Further, it reimagines empowerment as an intimate engagement process for the women involving constant renegotiations of unequal power relations, gendered roles, responsibilities, beliefs, and values. Thereby, I examine how female domestic workers construct their identities in a socio-cultural environment where choices are limited for them.

中文翻译：

---

走向赋权：印度的移民家庭佣工

摘要 农村劳动力迁移的大规模激增导致了当代印度的城市化进程。虽然关于非正规劳动力性别迁移的研究侧重于男性向外迁移并将女性视为“被动追随者”，但本研究借鉴了德里女性家庭佣工的叙述，探讨她们如何成为家庭中的养家糊口者，以及这种突然转变如何就业状况影响他们在家庭中的地位。此外，它将赋权重新想象为女性的亲密参与过程，涉及不断重新谈判不平等的权力关系、性别角色、责任、信仰和价值观。因此，我研究了女性家庭佣工如何在选择有限的社会文化环境中构建自己的身份。