INTRODUCTION
Cooperatives are engines of growth and development, especially for the most vulnerable workers
in our country like women in the informal economy. Over 9.6 crore women work in the Indian
informal economy1 without access to decent work or social security measures (such as
healthcare, childcare, insurance and pension.) Informal women workers often work in hazardous
conditions and earn significantly lesser than their male counterparts.
The Self-Employed Women’s Association, SEWA, has been organising women into unions and
cooperatives since 1972. In 1992, SEWA set up the first ever state-level women’s cooperative
federation-SEWA Cooperative Federation. Organising informal women workers into cooperatives
ensures that they have access to work and income security, safe working conditions, insurance
and other social security measures. Through cooperatives, worker-owners also access several
non-pecuniary benefits such as voice and representation in various policy-making fora.
