Low-Income Female Workers, Micro-Entrepreneurs, and the Informal Sector

Abstract

Sorayya Nouri, a delightful 35-year-old woman who works as a domestic helper, was born in Tabriz and is married to a young man from Tehran. The combination of the global economic crisis and national sanctions led to her husband’s bankruptcy after he had taken out a loan to open a mobile phone store. His shop was vandalized during antigovernment protests in the aftermath of the 2009 presidential election. The windows were broken and the phones damaged, leaving her husband with considerable debt. Lacking insurance, Sorayya’s husband was unable to recoup his losses. The family was left in a desperate economic situation and Sorayya decided to start working: from dress making to food processing and becoming a domestic helper. The neighborhood, fully aware of the family’s economic situation, came to aid her by providing her with odd jobs—keeping their business within their neighborhood.