MICA Ahmedabad hosts a post-doc fellow with a prestigious grant from the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies, University of the Witwatersrand Johannesburg. Dr Sai Amulya Komarraju, a post-doctorate fellow from the University of Hyderabad, will examine the experiences of male workers in a highly feminised profession as part of the research grant. Her project titled, 'When feminisation reaches the platform: Men in care professions and the future of work(ers)' will look at how men's involvement in this work eases the familial and societal barriers women face regarding access to both technologies and work.
She is currently the sector leader at FemLab.Co, an IDRC-funded initiative that examines the challenges faced by women workers in the informal sector to suggest appropriate policy and design interventions.
Prof Manisha Pathak Shelat, Chair, Center for Development Management and Communication (CDMC), MICA, said, “Research and publication are key areas of CDMC impact. We are excited to have Amulya with us. Her association with CDMC strengthens our bonds with three important institutions of repute: Erasmus University, Amsterdam; University of Hyderabad; and Southern Centre for Inequality Studies (SCIS), University of Witswatersrand.”
Dr Sai Amulya said, “Building on my role at FemLab as research leader for salon work, I applied to the SCIS grant to understand male workers' experiences in feminised professions of salon and domestic work (within and outside the platform economy). This is an important dimension because both men and women from marginalised castes and classes have historically performed care work. While most research is on women workers in care-work, it is crucial to examine what men’s presence in the sector means for women.”
She added, “MICA-CDMC is renowned for its research in the area of development communication and its collaboration with academics from across the world. I could not have asked for a better home for this project since given the shared values of social impact and sustainability.”