Abstract:
The study focuses on the socio-economic condition of vegetable Street vendors in Dhaka.
Special emphasis has been given on reasons of entering women vegetable vendors into
vending job and their problem. For this purpose, a survey was conducted in 2018 to know
the socio-economic condition of vegetable street vendors in Dhaka. This survey covered
150 vendors in those streets, footpath and roadside of 5 specific areas as Mirpur,
Mohammadpur, Farmgate, Dhanmondi and Azimpur in Dhaka. Based on this study has
found that the socio-economic condition of street vendors is very poor. Their income and
saving is very low. Both they and their children’s education is very poor. Vegetable street
vendor is one of the better informal job opportunities for poor. The study explores that
88.67 percent vegetable vendors are male and 11.34 percent of them are female. 42
percent of them have age range 26-35 years old. Among them 74 percent got married. 52
percent of them maintaining a family member at least 6 or above. Almost 65.34 percent
vendor’s academic qualification is below SSC. More than 24 percent of them and 12
percent of their children are illiterate yet. The per day average sale is Tk. 2475. The
average monthly income of per vendor is Tk. 23435. Almost 61.34 percent had started
with an initial investment lowest Tk.10000. 50.67 percent of them could earn profit per
day lowest through Tk. 400. If a comparison is made between male and female, we see
that the condition of women vendors is more vulnerable than male venders. Women
vendors in Dhaka choose this trade because of poverty and also because the male
members in the family do not have jobs and even if they earn money, they spend those
money mostly on liquor. Their low income, double burden of having to work on the
streets and look after the home and low level of unionization make them the invisible
section of street vendors. Less or no Public toilet in the streets of Dhaka has an adverse
effect on women vender’s health and many suffer from various infection. The mobile
women street vendors also face security issues.
