This conference aims to understand the interlinkages between urbanisation, gender, labour migration, informality, social protection, and governance in the context of India’s rapid socio-economic transformation. As cities expand and draw large numbers of migrant workers, new inequalities and vulnerabilities are emerging, especially for women, informal workers, and other marginalised populations living and working in precarious urban spaces.

A core focus of the conference is on urbanisation, gender, and labour migration, with particular attention to how gender shapes migration experiences, access to urban livelihoods, housing, mobility, and essential services. The conference will highlight the lived realities of women informal workers, including construction workers, domestic workers, street vendors, waste pickers, and platform workers, who face multiple challenges related to unsafe working conditions, wage insecurity, lack of legal protection, housing shortages, and exclusion from social security systems.

The conference also foregrounds safety, security, and gender-based violence in urban and semi- urban contexts. It will explore the spatial and structural nature of violence, including harassment in public and workplaces, domestic violence, and institutional neglect, and how these shape women’s mobility, labour participation, and overall well-being. Another key dimension is reproductive health and occupational health hazards, particularly among migrant and informal- sector women workers exposed to unsafe living and working conditions. We will critically examine barriers to accessing reproductive and maternal healthcare, occupational safety, and long-term health support mechanisms. Further, women face multiple forms of vulnerabilities and marginalisation in slums and resettlement colonies. We will focus on their well-being, safety, and access to social protection. It will explore issues of insecure tenure, lack of basic services, environmental risks, and exclusion from welfare programs, and how these intersect with gender, caste, class, and migration status.

The conference also critically engages with government policies and programmes, assessing their design, implementation, and impact on urban poor and migrant women. In parallel, it highlights the crucial role of civil society organisations and community-based initiatives in addressing service-delivery gaps, advocating for rights, and building collective capacity. The conference aims to promote evidence-based dialogue and develop contextually grounded strategies to advance gender-just, inclusive, and sustainable urban development.

Themes

 Urbanisation, gender, and labour migration
 Women informal workers and their challenges
 Safety and security issues and gender-based violence
 Reproductive health issues and occupational health hazards
 Marginalised women – well-being, safety and social protection
 Women’s vulnerabilities in slums and resettlement colonies
 Government policies and performance
 The role of civil society and community

Registration Details

To register, fill out the Google form: https://forms.gle/2ECQm4EvpPVxntnh7

Registration Charge: Nil.

Who can register?

Postgraduate students, PhD scholars, post-docs, faculty, early-career researchers, NGO professionals, or any other individuals interested in urban issues and gender.

Submission Guidelines

Abstract Submission: The abstract must include the paper title, authors’ details (names, affiliations, email address, and contact number), and keywords. It should explicitly include background, methods, results, and conclusion. The abstract should not exceed 300 words. The abstract should be submitted online through Google form: https://forms.gle/2ECQm4EvpPVxntnh7

Full Paper Submission: The full paper should be original and unpublished work. The paper must be typed in Times New Roman, 12-point font, with 1.5 spacing and 1-inch margins on all sides. The length should not exceed 6,000 words (excluding tables, figures, and references). References should follow the Chicago style. Each paper should include a title page with the paper title, authors’ details (names, affiliations, email address, and contact number), and an abstract of up to 300 words. The full paper must be submitted to isiconference2026@gmail.com in Word format. The selected papers are planned to be published as an edited book with Routledge.