Abstract

Marcus H. Selassie1* and Tirunesh Bekele Gerima2

This paper argues that home-based workers are not easily identified as either self-employed or dependent workers because these categories of employment status fail to capture gender subordination, which is particularly salient in the case of home-based work. Presenting the cases of home-based workers in Gondar, Ethiopia, this paper proposes that home-based workers should be treated as self-employed microentrepreneurs and be effectively organized to demand their rights. It is concluded that educating home-based workers about their rights is essential to enhancing their bargaining power within the family and community.