The contemporary concept of women and work in India has changed significantly with economic transformation, urbanisation, education, globalisation and changing social attitudes. However, women’s participation in paid and unpaid work continues to be shaped by gender relations and unequal distribution of power within the family, workplace and society. From the perspective of Gender and Power, women’s work cannot be understood merely in terms of employment statistics. It must also be examined through questions of access to resources, control over income, decision-making, social norms, occupational opportunities, unpaid care work and institutional power. Historically, Indian society associated women primarily with domestic responsibilities such as cooking, cleaning, childcare and caring for elderly family members. Men were generally viewed as economic providers. This gendered division of labour created a distinction between “productive” work, usually associated with men and recognised economically, and “reproductive” or domestic work, largely performed by women and frequently treated as non-economic. Although contemporary India has witnessed considerable changes in these roles, the traditional division of labour continues to influence women’s employment decisions. Education has been one of the most important factors transforming women’s relationship with work. Increasing numbers of women are receiving secondary, higher and professional education. Women now work as teachers, doctors, engineers, lawyers, administrators, entrepreneurs, scientists, journalists, managers, police officers and professionals in information technology and other modern sectors. Education has increased women’s aspirations, bargaining power and capacity to participate in public life. It has also challenged the belief that women’s primary identity should be confined to marriage and domesticity. Economic liberalisation and globalisation have created new employment opportunities for women. The expansion of the service sector, banking, retail, education, healthcare, telecommunications, information technology, hospitality and business-process outsourcing has brought many women into formal and semi-formal employment. Urban middle-class women, in particular, have increasingly combined professional careers with family responsibilities. Digital technologies have further created opportunities for remote work, online businesses, freelancing and entrepreneurship. At the same time, women’s employment remains deeply unequal across class, caste, rural-urban location and education. Women from economically disadvantaged households often participate extensively in agricultural labour, construction, domestic service, informal manufacturing and other precarious occupations. Their work is essential to household survival but may be poorly paid, insecure and socially undervalued. Thus, the contemporary concept of women and work includes both highly educated professional women and millions of women engaged in invisible or informal labour. A major