2026, Vol. 6, Issue 1, Part A

Women workers in India’s construction sector constitute one of the most marginalized and invisibilized segments of the informal workforce. Despite robust constitutional protections under Articles 14, 15(3), 16, 39, and 42 of the Indian Constitution and sector-specific legislation such as the Building and Other Construction Workers (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 1996, women continue to experience systemic exploitation, unequal wages, unsafe working conditions, and limited access to social protection mechanisms. Drawing on empirical data collected from fifteen construction sites across Bengaluru between 2023 and 2024, this paper provides a critical legal and socio-economic analysis of the lived realities of women construction workers. It evaluates the implementation gaps in key welfare legislations including the BOCW Act and the Code on Social Security, 2020, alongside pertinent judicial pronouncements that seek to enforce accountability and gender equity in the sector. The analysis reveals a stark disjuncture between legal entitlements and their on-ground realization. The paper concludes with gender-sensitive policy recommendations aimed at strengthening statutory enforcement, ensuring portability of welfare benefits, and institutionalizing gender audits within the construction welfare governance framework.