“In addition to underutilizing the labor resources of an economy, women’s low labor force participation rates have broader, deeper social implications: market work increases women’s access to economic opportunities and decision-making power within the family. I examine the causes and consequences of women’s labor force participation and labor displacement, both within the family and in the overall labor market,” Gulati said.
In India, agricultural technologies are being rapidly adopted and these technologies impact men’s and women’s labor markets differently. One example Gulati’s research examines is the adoption of mechanical rice transplanting, a practice that automates a labor-intensive task usually delegated to women. Her findings indicate that, even if women’s activities on the farm are associated with significant drudgery and they want to adopt labor-saving farm technologies, the decision to actually adopt rests with the men.
This has numerous implications, Gulati argued, such as keeping women in traditional gendered roles with less economic bargaining potential and limiting household incomes. Gaining insight into how, why, and who makes the decisions within the household is vital to better understanding the implications for not only women’s and men’s labor markets but also women’s economic empowerment.
“What this work is showing is that efforts to enhance adoption of gender-specific, welfare-enhancing products and services may not be successful without broader efforts to improve women’s bargaining potential.”
Although Gulati’s research relies on understanding domestic and civic dynamics, her methods are wholly quantitative. Using her experience in the field and methodological training, Gulati devised multiple rounds of surveys and field experiments for her studies in India. Although a quantitative approach may prove tidier than a mixed-methods or qualitative study, Gulati said it is not without challenges.
“The survey methods I used are experimental,” Gulati said. “The main challenges are overcoming barriers in education and comprehension, especially among women who have limited social mobility and interactions. To do this, I conduct cognitive testing before running the actual experiment, testing the survey on participants to make sure the questions are understood and straightforward. I run many, many rounds of pre-testing to refine the research protocols.”
Gulati recently surveyed 1,000 households in the Indian state of Bihar, which is one of the poorest states in India. The experiment also required delivering heavy agricultural machinery services to rural areas where the technology had never been used before.
