‘Being powerless’ or ‘To be empowered’: A Case of Women Street Vendors at Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu

The Family System is the supreme social institution of the Indian Society. The traditional Indian Family System subdued the women, to execute only the household activities thereby restricting their mobility. Female members were deprived of many other facilities and opportunities enjoyed by the male members. The male family members were responsible for the economic wealth of the family and enjoyed decision making powers in the society. This biased practice denied many Indian women the much needed empowerment for effectively participating in their own self being, family up-lift and society welfare. Some of the current dynamic women folks have risen above the age old taboo and are active participants in various economic activities in the society. A section of these women today lead in many fronts like politics, business, policy development etc., and are important decision makers in the society. Many of these urban women have acquired higher education and are economically independent through employment in organized sector. However, there has not been much study conducted to understand the motivation of rural women in poor households to engage in an unorganized sector like Street Vending. Hence this study makes an attempt to understand this motivation and explores the professional challenges these women counter during street vending.