Gender, Norms, and Informal Labor: Negotiating Daily Wage Inequality in Rural Bangladesh

Abstract

Gender-based wage inequality remains persistent in informal labor markets, where wage-setting is shaped by customary practices, social norms, and unequal bargaining power rather than transparent standards. This qualitative study examines how wage inequality is experienced, justified, and reproduced among women daily laborers in Nageswari Upazila, Kurigram District, Bangladesh. Drawing on 30 in-depth interviews with women daily laborers, 30 with men, four focus group discussions (32 participants), and eight key informant interviews, thematic analysis identified five interconnected mechanisms: gendered wage-setting, occupational segregation, contractor-controlled recruitment, unequal bargaining power, and normalization of gender norms. Participants reported daily wage differences of BDT 100–250 between women and men performing comparable work. The evidence indicates these gaps stem from gender norms, limited mobility, unpaid care, contractor dependence, and weak governance rather than productivity differences alone. Addressing equal remuneration requires going beyond formal legal commitments to reform informal recruitment, occupational access, collective bargaining, and local labor governance.