STM Article Repository

The informal sector is the primary driver of the Global South economy, contributing significantly to its GDP and employing a substantial number of its workforce. As a result, it plays a crucial role in a nation's development strategies. Street vending is vital in the informal sector, creating self-employment opportunities for individuals with poor skills and limited financial security. There is a prevailing trend where men dominate the workforce, and women are marginalized, resulting in a lack of significant female participation in street vending. This paper examines the constraints women street vendors encounter within the existing regulatory and governance frameworks in Indian cities. It also explores the strategies they employ to overcome these obstacles. Discrimination and gender stereotypes exacerbate the difficulties faced by women, hence compounding the hurdles they encounter. This study aims to enhance comprehension of the overarching challenges female street vendors face in their commercial operations, examine the extensive gender gaps that hinder women's economic participation, and explore the impact of these obstacles on entrepreneurial pursuits. Semi-structured interviews were undertaken to get insight into their commercial activities. The respondents for these interviews were derived through a stratified random sampling method to ensure that the representation of all forms of female vendors based on their offering of goods and services is reflected. This study emphasizes examining the existing laws and governance systems to identify and tackle the obstacles female street vendors face in Indian cities due to gender. To effectively address the complex barriers female sellers face in Indian urban areas, policymakers must comprehend these issues to devise tailored strategies that promote women's economic empowerment and its contribution to the GDP.

The study has led to the discovery of the lack of legislative and policy awareness among female street vendors, keeping them away from its benefits; almost one in three women vendors faced some form of harassment from customers and fellow commuters, mainly those who are vending late in the evening raising safety concerns, women vendors though holders of bank accounts have a low tendency to secure credit to expand business leading to a partial form of financial inclusion, according to the respondent's majority of them are independent decision makers of their income utilization, abuse from local authorities is infrequent, vendors utilize their built social capital among each other to support but instances of dictating vending space rights by male vendors upon women vendors is also present, the research findings chapter discusses these insights and others in depth.