Labour markets, social inequality and the tailors of Kabul. SLRC Briefing Paper No. 8
Abstract
The creation of good jobs in fragile and conflict-affected situations is widely seen to generate not just wealthier economies, but also safer societies and more legitimate states. However, much of the thinking in this area is dominated by technical approaches more concerned with balancing out supply and demand than with serious analysis of the role of institutions, identity and power in mediating access to opportunities.
This study is about understanding how labour markets actually work in insecure and dynamic contexts. It does so through an analysis of the experiences of young women and men working in the tailoring sector of Kabul, Afghanistan. Tailoring employs more women than any other sector in urban Afghanistan, and it is also the fourth largest employer of men living in urban areas. It therefore offers an ideal opportunity for gendered labour market analysis.
Citation
Mallett, R.; Pain, A. Labour markets, social inequality and the tailors of Kabul. SLRC Briefing Paper No. 8. Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium, Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London, UK (2015) 4 pp.
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