Empowering Women through Safety at Work: An Experiment with SMEs in Urban India

Abstract

This study investigates the role of workplace safety in empowering women in SMEs in urban India. We design and evaluate a large-scale randomized controlled trial offering sexual harassment training to employers and employees across the universe of retail markets in Delhi. The intervention focuses on increasing awareness, reshaping attitudes, and improving business practices related to workplace safety, with outcomes measured at both employer and employee levels. We also test the effectiveness of three motivational nudges – gender equality, legal compliance, and peer influence – in encouraging firms to adopt the training. By examining take-up patterns and intervention impacts, this study provides critical evidence on addressing sexual harassment in resource-constrained settings and its broader implications for business practices in a never-before studied context. The findings contribute to understanding how targeted interventions can promote safer workplaces for inclusive growth and gender equity in low-income urban labor markets.