Immediately after independence from the British rule in 1947, India adopted its comprehension Constitution in 1950. Through the Directive principles of the State policy, it provided the guidance for India’s future development. This document laid down a number of welfare activities which were mandatory for state and private organisations either by legislation or trade practices. A number of legislations were passed that have a special implication on women’s participation in the labour market and balancing their domestic responsibilities. In the UK, in the late 1980’s the business case for equal opportunities became prominent and accepted in the business world, as the financial benefits of good equal opportunities became increasingly visible. Table 3 summarises some ofthe notable legislations related to women’s work and family in UK and India.
Methodology
For the purpose of this international comparative research (ICR), we have used a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods in the form of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. We have utilised Glaser’s (1992) Grounded Theory (GT) methodology. GT is inductive in nature, whereby theories, issues or themes and sub-themes emerge from an ongoing process of an analysis ofthe data. In the context of the Grounded theory methodology, a sample of ten is considered as good as the main intention of the research is to develop a model and not to test it. Qualitative research methods were initially developed in the social sciences to enable researchers to study social and cultural phenomena. The motivation for doing qualitative research, as opposed to quantitative research, comes from the observation that, if there is one thing which distinguishes humans from the natural world, it is our ability to talk! Qualitative research methods are designed to help researchers understand people and the social and cultural contexts within which they live. (Anne, Ryan, 2006). Qualitative data sources include observation and participant observation (fieldwork), interviews and questionnaires, documents and texts, and the researcher’s impressions and reactions. Some researchers have suggested combining one or more research methods in the one study called triangulation, Gable (1994), Kaplan and Duchon (1988), Lee (1991), Mingers (2001) and Ragin (1987).
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Our research is informed by the critical and interpretivist epistemologies. The ICR has an interpretive stance and a critical edge to justify and explain the causes of gender segregation in the two countries. As Kvasny and Richardson point
out, “critical research should be praxis oriented — combining theory and action (praxis) to create a scholarship which may lead to more equitable social change.” From an interpretive perspective, we assume that people create and associate their
Figure 1. Research model
A higher GEM empowers women but is not indicative of decreasing segregation
(hypothesis)
There are three elements in the hypothesis. — GEM. empowerment and segregation
UK has a higher GEM, implies women are more empowered than women in India
India’s GEM is lower than that of UK’s. This implies that women are less empowered
than women in UK.
Our research is to focus on the third element of the hypothesis, segregation, and
whether this is true in the ICT profession as there is an evidence of gender
segregation in ICT in both the countries.
If this is true, then how will segregation and empowerment be compared? The
variables that are used in the research are education, recruitment practices, salary,
work-life balance, employment practices, changing gender relations, opportunities for
progression, retention rates.
own experience and understanding as they interact with the world around them. From a critical perspective, we aim to remain as social critiques.
The research model below in Figure 1 shows the major variables that underlies the research. The variables that are used in the research to compare empowerment and segregation are education, recruitment practices, salary, work-life balance, employment practices, changing gender relations, opportunities for progression, retention rates.