The informal job sector in India is marked by the lowest wages, uncertainty of work, seasonal variations, interpersonal and state violence and backbreaking work, occupational hazards. Double standard of sexual morality coupled with utter helplessness of women make them more vulnerable in the informal sector market and force them to seek an illusionary protection from men. Culture of sex- segregation and limited access to familial and societal resources force them to remain in female ghettos. Women who enters male dominated occupations faces more psycho- social challenges. Work demands placed on women are typically higher under these work conditions and women, in turn, have to work harder to prove an equal level of competence with their male counterparts. This often tilts them to burn out easily. Adding to these is the lion share of unpaid work women do at home, including taking care of the children, cooking, and doing other house chores, in most societies. Juggling between work and a stressful job, for married women, proves a significant source of stress.
This paper will try to understand the particular reasons of psycho-social stress faced by women in male-dominated occupations. This paper will attempt to understand the coping strategies used by women in male-dominated occupations to face psycho-social stress. This paper will be qualitative in nature. The data will be collected using a case study of ten women working as petrol-pump workers in Indore city.
