Motivation and Resilience among Urban Low-Income Workers in India
Keywords:
Urban poverty, motivation, resilience, informal workers, qualitative study, ChennaiAbstract
This study explores the role of resilience and motivation among urban low-income workers in Chennai, India, using a qualitative approach based on in-depth interviews with ten participants. The participants, engaged in informal and semi-formal employment sectors such as domestic work, small trade, driving, and sanitation, shared their lived experiences of coping with economic, social, and emotional challenges. Thematic analysis revealed five major themes: economic hardship and survival motivation, family and relational support, coping mechanisms and emotional endurance, social dignity and self-worth, and future aspirations. Drawing upon Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory, the study highlights how motivation and resilience are interdependent processes shaped by individual agency and social context. Despite financial instability, health issues, and social marginalisation, participants demonstrated strong intrinsic motivation derived from family responsibility, dignity in labour, and hope for intergenerational progress. Findings suggest that resilience among low-income urban workers emerges not only from personal determination but also from community relationships and adaptive coping strategies. The study underscores the importance of recognising resilience as a dynamic social process and calls for inclusive urban policies that enhance livelihood security, mental well-being, and social equity.
References
Agarwal, S., Kothiwal, K. and Verma, S. (2022). From risks to resilience: action research into informal workers' health and wellbeing in Indore, India. IIED, London. Available at https://www.iied.org/21151iied
Alonso, I., et al. (2019). Unequal Conditions: A Systematic Review of the Relationship between Urban Poverty and Psychological Resilience. Universal Journal of Public Health, 7(4), 159–170.
Bautista-Puig, N., Benayas, J., Mañana-Rodríguez, J., Suárez, M., & Sanz-Casado, E. (2022).
The role of urban resilience in research and its contribution to sustainability. Cities, 126, 103715. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2022.103715
Béné, C., Newsham, A., Davies, M., Ulrichs, M., & Godfrey?Wood, R. (2014). Review article: resilience, poverty and development. Journal of International Development, 26(5), 598- 623. https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.2992
Buheji, M. (2020). Psychological Resilience and Poor Communities Coping with COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences, 10(4), 100–108). https://doi.org/10.5923/j.ijpbs.20201004.03
Cicchetti, D., & Garmezy, N. (1993). Prospects and promises in the study of resilience.
Development and Psychopathology, 5(4), 497–502. doi:10.1017/S0954579400006118 Clark, D. A. (2009). Adaptation, Poverty and Well?Being: Some Issues and Observations with
Special Reference to the Capability Approach and Development Studies1. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, 10(1), 21–42.
https://doi.org/10.1080/14649880802675051
Davis, A. (1946). The motivation of the underprivileged worker. In W. F. Whyte (Ed.), Industry and society (pp. 84–106). McGraw-Hill Book Company. https://doi.org/10.1037/13267- 005
Frazier, S. L., Dinizulu, S. M., Rusch, D., Boustani, M. M., Mehta, T. G., & Reitz, K. (2014). Building resilience After School for early Adolescents in Urban Poverty: Open Trial of Leaders @ Play. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(6), 723–736. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-014-0608-7
Glaeser, E. L. (2021). Urban resilience. Urban Studies, 59(1), 3-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980211052230 (Original work published 2022)
González de la Rocha, M. (2020). Poverty and Resilience in Mexico. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Anthropology. Retrieved 10 Oct. 2025, from https://oxfordre.com/anthropology/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190854584.001.0001/acre fore-9780190854584-e-214
Karlen, R., Rougeaux, S., Johansson De Silva, S., & Barussaud, S. (2023). Resilience and productivity: keys to a better future for urban informal sector workers in Côte d’Ivoire. In https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/igo
Kapucu, N., Ge, Y., Rott, E., & Isgandar, H. (2024b). Urban Resilience: multidimensional perspectives, challenges and prospects for future research. Urban Governance. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ugj.2024.09.003
Kaiser, Z.R.M.A., Sakil, A.H., Baikady, R. et al. (2025). Building resilience in urban slums: exploring urban poverty and policy responses amid crises. Discov glob soc 3, 8. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44282-025-00142-3
Ramalho, J. (2020). Hope, home and insecurity: Gendered labours of resilience among the urban poor of Metro Cebu, the Philippines. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 39(5), 844-862. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263775820959337 (Original work published
Rahim, Hardy & Rohana, Ngah & Abdul Kadir, Mohd Ali Bahari & Faizah, Noor & Amir, Aida
& Samat, Muhammad. (2024). A Qualitative Study on Entrepreneurship Resilience Among Urban Poverty. 36. 323-327.
Ramezani, R., & Farshchin, A. (2021). Urban Resilience and Its Relationship with Urban Poverty. Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 147(4). https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)up.1943-5444.0000756
Turnbull, B., Ojeda, A., Del Castillo, C. C., & Fuentes, J. (2019). The Role of Resilience in Urban Poverty. In Diamond Scientific Publishing. https://doi.org/10.33422/icrpconf.2019.03.141 Turnbull, B., Gordon, S.F., Fuentes-Balderrama, J. et al. Resilience Is Not Free: the Undeserved Failure of the Urban Poor in Mexico. ADV RES SCI 4, 319–333 (2023).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s42844-023-00099-9
Ungar, M. (2006). Resilience across Cultures. The British Journal of Social Work, 38(2), 218–
