The Second Shift in Jodhpur’s Metal Ware Industry
In Jodhpur's burgeoning metalware industry, the clang of utensils and the whirring of machines form the background score of thousands of lives.
But behind the noise of production lies a quieter, invisible struggle, one that unfolds in cramped homes, absent from the gaze of employers and policymakers.
Women employed in the steel utensil industry, performing tasks such as laser tagging, polishing, sticking stickers, packaging, and cleaning, carry a dual burden that sociologist Arlie Hochschild famously conceptualised as the “second shift.”
The “second shift”
For these women, the second shift is not an abstract sociological term but a lived routine, where paid labour at the factory collides with unpaid domestic work at home.
Author's summary: Women in Jodhpur's metalware industry face a dual burden.