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Abstract
The contemporary times have seen a marked increase in the participation of women in remunerative work in the city of Aizawl, Mizoram, which is majorly inhabited by the Mizo ethnic and tribal people. The city of Aizawl is the only Census Notified Town and houses major government establishments, educational institutions, companies and corporate offices besides hospitals. The home space is traditionally regarded as the sphere and responsibility of women in the society of the Mizos. However, in the context of increased entry of the women of the city into waged employment in the organised sector, workplaces and offices as physical spaces transform into spaces of interaction between the genders thusly. In the context of a marked entry of women into extra-mural works there is bound to be social interactions within work spaces that may or may not be gendered. The micro level workplace architectural arrangements within these physical spaces may indicate gendered physical arrangements in some way or not at all. In this light the research asks the question- does increased presence of women in extramural works translate into spaces of exclusion within the work setting such as in an office. Thereby, for the purpose of the study, intense field survey was conducted in which data was collected from a total of 41 offices of government directorates and departments, 20 corporate offices, 8 hospitals, 16 schools and 2 universities and 10 colleges. These samples were drawn by the stratified technique of sampling. In situ investigation and survey was done through workplace observations and interviews through schedules were carried out. The study revealed that the overall structure and social relationships that exists does not allow a universal operation of spaces of exclusion especially on gender lines. Therefore the physical spaces within the workplace do not witness any conspicuous existence of segregation of the genders and the study revealed that there is intense social interaction and relationships that do not welcome segregation of men and women within the micro level architectural structure of the workplace.