Enslaved or Empowered? A Critique of Culture and Career in Discourses of the "Empowerment" of Bangalore Women in the IT Industry

Abstract: India is booming and new sectors that have the cutting edge internationally are mushrooming in size across the country. One such sector is the Information Technologies (IT) industry, but it has attracted international attention not solely for its large scope on the international market, but also because it is a pioneer ahead of its Western peers. As a percent of the total labour force Indian women are more represented in the IT sector in India than Western women in their home countries. Under the banner of ?empowerment? this phenomena is being hailed as gender equality in full swing, but is it really swinging or just swaying? The following research paper seeks to critically analyze the discourse that the IT sector is ?empowering? women in India, specifically Bangalore.