2 min readSep 9, 2026 07:29 PM IST
For women in Mumbai’s informal settlements, working from home offers flexibility but comes at a steep cost. A new study of women engaged in piece rate production work in Mumbai, Nalasopara and Navi Mumbai has found long working hours, earnings as low as Rs 100 to Rs 300 a day and a range of occupational health risks, while children are often drawn in as unpaid family workers.
The report, Visibilising Home Based Work in Bastis: An Action Research Report, by development organisation Youth for Unity and Voluntary Action (YUVA), examines women making jewellery and hair accessories, packing toys and bindis, finishing garments and toys, soldering electronics, making matchboxes and cardboard boxes, processing food and producing seasonal items such as rakhis and flower garlands.