Attainment of sustainable development goal of empowerment of women through active employment: a study of the gendered workspace in Delhi

Across countries, in the sphere of economic employment, in contrast to men, women face higher unemployment, informal nature, and instability. Founding gender equality, promoting women's empowerment is an integral constituent of the Sustainable Development Goals. The neo-liberal development processes leading to greater urbanisation offer a significant opportunity for women to enter paid employment. But, societal gender norms play a vital role in these decisions, often creating segregation of workspaces terming them 'suitable' for women/men or 'unsuitable' for them. City petrol pumps are one such gendered workspace, which is highly masculine in its work practices, customer base, and approach. This study based on the women petrol pump operators in Delhi elaborates on how women 'negotiate' their workspace, how gender relations are built, sustained, and altered, strategies adopted, and impediments faced by women to regulate themselves in this occupation.