Beyond Identity: How Survival Economies Shape the Social Inclusion of Transgender Individuals in Urban India

Abstract

This study investigates how participation in survival economies—specifically sex work and begging—shapes the social inclusion outcomes of transgender individuals in Delhi–NCR, India. Drawing on Structural Marginalization Theory and the Intersectionality Framework, the paper explores how institutional exclusion and overlapping disadvantages related to gender, education, and income perpetuate economic dependency and social invisibility. Primary data were collected from 335 transgender participants using purposive sampling, and an ordered probit model with marginal effects was employed to assess the impact of survival economies across ten dimensions of social inclusion. The findings reveal that survival economies significantly diminish access to healthcare, social support networks, cultural participation, and dignity of labor, while education and income emerge as strong protective factors. The analysis highlights a disjunction between internal empowerment (e.g., self-esteem, gender expression) and external societal exclusion. The study underscores that true social inclusion cannot be achieved without addressing economic exclusion, and it calls for policies that move beyond legal identity recognition to ensure dignified employment, inclusive education, and healthcare access.