Status of working women in India

Sure God created man before woman. But then you always make a rough draft before the final masterpiece. ~Author Unknown Women, being the integral part of our so-called democratic nation have always been looked down under the dictatorship of men. Women not only suffer in the rural India but the problem remains the same in the urban sector of the society too. Pandit Jawarhar Lal Nehru once said that by merely looking at the condition of women, one can figure out the growth of the nation. Greater part of working women often do a tightrope walk, balancing a rather hostile domestic environment and professional lives as husband and in-laws are yet to adopt modern mind sets. Nearly 38 per cent of women reported experiencing physical violence at least once in their married life, while 72 per cent encounter psychological abuse. But at the same time, a major revolution in the sector of employment for women has led to a mass effect in the nation. It stirred many mindsets and freed women of all the bondages, which earlier prevailed. India's economy has undergone a substantial transformation since the country's independence in 1947 and so the growth of women has also evolved. A section of Indian women-the elite and the upper middle class have gained by the exposure to the global network. Many of the working women, who manage their own expenses, do contribute towards the economic needs of their family as and when required. Unlike the earlier time they often participate in discussions at workplace where their views are also given equal importance before any final decision. After globalisation, women are bagging more and more job opportunities. It has raised hopes of women for a secured and elevated status of women arising out of increased chances to work but, at the same time, it has placed them in a highly contradictory economic liberty. India is the first among countries to give women equal franchise and has a high credible record with regards to the enactment of laws to protect and promote the interest of women. But women continued to be denied economic, social and legal rights and privileges. Women plow fields and harvest crops while working on farms, women weave and make handicrafts while working in the household industries, they sell food and gather wood while working in the informal sector making money for them and their family. The cultural restrictions were the primary obstacles to female employment, now however, with the shortage of jobs in every sector even lead to more unemployed women in the country. Even if the women are employed she may not have control over the money she earns, though this money often plays an important role in the maintenance of the household. In Indian culture women are expected to devote virtually all of their time, energy and money to their family. The basic infrastructure of society has hardly improved, though the role of women within the same structure is passing through a transitional phase. It is but natural that she would remain vulnerable to exploitation even in her economically independent state.

The working woman in India continues to face stiff challenges and social resistance even in the 21st century. There is a gender bias against women in many industries, and the percentage of women making to the top of the corporate ladder is still abysmally low. A recent survey conducted by World Economic Forum (WEF), choosing 60 of the 100 best employers in India as a sample, revealed that women employees held only 10 percent of the senior management positions in two-thirds of the surveyed companies. None of the companies had women chief executive officers (CEOs) and almost 40 percent of the respondents had only 10 percent women work force.1Furthermore, womens employment is not necessarily synonymous with womens empowerment in India, and a large number of women do not get to exercise a control over their own income. Sexual harassment and a safe and secure working environment for women continue to remain a challenge in most parts of the country. The following four social forces are critical to elevate the status of the working woman in India: Individual force or Self-Help The key to transforming the social status of a working woman lies in their own hands primarily. Women need to be more assertive and aware of their own rights at home as well as at work. There are many social self-help womens groups and other womens organizations that are ready to assist women in upgrading their skills, connecting them with job and entrepreneurial opportunities, and addressing their grievances, whether at the workplace or at home. Womens cooperative movements such as Amul Dairy Cooperative in Gujarat and Shri Mahila Griha Udyog Lijjat Papad in Maharashtra are two legendary examples of self-help women groups transforming the lives of women in India. Unless woman decides to resist against her exploitation, whether at economic, social or sexual level, the goal of womens empowerment cannot be achieved. Organizational force or Employers Responsibility The business organizations must develop a clear policy of gender inclusiveness and become equal opportunity employers. Implementation of the policy must be monitored closely, and the data of the womens participation in the organization must be reviewed regularly. This will ensure that the top management remains informed about any gender disparities within the organization, and works consistently to close the gaps. The employers must follow best practices in terms of providing maternity leave and benefits to working mothers. Re-training of women employees and other such measures must be taken to ensure that they remain at par with the male workforce within the organization. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is a classic case in this regard. TCS in recent years has launched a Diversity and Womens Network (DAWN) initiative that encourages women employees to stick to their jobs despite pressure from marriage, family, and maternity demands, and attain sustainable careers for the long term.2

Governmental force The government in India has its task cut out clearly in terms of policy initiatives as well as implementation of the womens employment, entrepreneurship and financial empowerment programs at the grassroots level. For instance, the government of India has taken an enterprising step to enhance the safety of working women that has earned it accolades across the world. The government has introduced its first single sex train in Delhi, or a Ladies Special that exclusively caters to women commuters. This is a pilot program under which eight new commuter trains are being introduced exclusively for women passengers in 4 of Indias biggest cities.3 This action of the government creates safer conditions for womens employment, and encourages women to work outside their homes. It is a step in the right direction, and symbolizes the governments increased consciousness about improving womens participation in the economy. Societal force The society and the family are two crucial influences that can raise the status of the Working Women in India. The husband and other family members need to be supportive of the womans work outside the home. They need to share the household responsibilities in order for woman to be able to utilize her skills outside the home. India is a traditionally patriarchal and male-dominated society. Therefore, without the positive and liberal mindset of the average Indian male to encourage the working women, a real elevation of the working womens status in the society is going to remain a distant dream. Overall, a conducive and safe social environment and a proactive support from the family, corporate, government and other social networks can help to transform the Indian Working Womens status for the better. But above all, the assertiveness and initiative of the working women themselves for their own rights can do more for their empowerment than all other forces combined.
As of March 2001, the female population stands at 495.4 million out of total 1,028 million Indian population. Thus, in the present population of 1.03 billion, there ought to be 528 million women. Instead, estimates show only 496 million women in the population today. This implies that there are some 32 million "missing" women in India. Some are never born, and the rest die because they do not have the opportunity to survive. Sex-ratio (number of female per 1,000 male) is an important indicator of women's status in the society. In 1901 there were 972 females per 1,000 males, while by 1971; the ratio has come down to 930 females per 1,000 males. In 1981 there has been only a nominal increase in the female sex ratio within 934 females to 1,000 males. There were only 926 females per 1000 males in India according to 1991 census. The 2001 census indicate that the trend has been slightly arrested with the sex ratio at 933 females per 1000 males, with Kerala at 1058 females. The sex ratio of the 0-6 age group has declined sharply from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001. According to UNFPA State of world population 2005, Punjab (793), Haryana (820), Delhi (865), Gujarat (878) and Himachal Pradesh (897) have worst child sex ratio. Scheduled Tribes have fairly respectable CSR of 973 but that falls for Scheduled Castes it falls at 938.For non SC/ST population it stands at 917.Rural India has 934 per 1000 and for urban India it stands at 908.In most states least literate districts have superior CSR compared to their most literate counterparts. One reason for the adverse juvenile sex ratio is the increasing reluctance to have female children. For women the literacy rate stands at 54.16 per cent. Still, 245 million Indian women cannot read or write, comprising the world's largest number of unlettered women. National averages in literacy conceal wide disparities. For instance, while 95 per

cent of women in Mizoram are literate, only 34 per cent of women in Bihar can read and write. The average Indian female has only 1.2 years of schooling, while the Indian male spends 3.5 years in school. More than 50 per cent girls drop out by the time they are in middle school. Similarly, life expectancy has increased for both the sexes; it has increased to 64.9 years for women and 63 years for men according to UN Statistic Division (2000). The Working women population has risen from 13% in 1987 to 25% in 2001. However the UNFPA State of World Population 2005 states that about70% of graduate Indian women are unemployed. Women constitute 90 per cent of the total marginal workers of the country. Rural women engaged in agriculture form 78 per cent of all women in regular work. They are a third of all workers on the land. The traditional gender division of labour ensures that these women get on average 30 per cent lower wages than men. The total employment of women in organized sector is only 4 per cent. Although industrial production increased in the 1980s; jobs in factories and establishments -- or non-household jobs -- stagnated at eight per cent of the workforce. Increasingly, companies tend to rely on outsourcing, using cheap labour.It is well known that women and children work in huge numbers in bidi-rolling, agarbatti-rolling, bangle making, weaving, brassware, leather, crafts and other industries. Yet, only 3 per cent of these women are recorded as laborers. They are forced to work for pitiable wages and are denied all social security benefits. A study by SEWA of 14 trades found that 85 per cent of women earned only 50 per cent of the official poverty level income. The sociological research on the status of women has generally suggested that the Indian women enjoy a low status in their households because family decisions relating to finances, kinship relations, selection of life partner are made by the male members and women are rarely consulted. Although there has been an expansion in health facilities maternal mortality rate continue to be high at 407 per 1, 00,000 live births (1998).WHO estimates show that out of the 529,000 maternal deaths globally each year ,136,000 (25.7%) are contributed by India. A factor that contributes to India's high maternal mortality rate is the reluctance to seek medical care for pregnancy - it is viewed as a temporary condition that will disappear. The estimates nationwide are that only 40-50 percent of women receive any antenatal care. Evidence from the states of Bihar, Rajasthan, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat find registration for maternal and child health services to be as low as 5-22 percent in rural areas and 21-51 percent in urban areas. Even a woman who has had difficulties with previous pregnancies is usually treated with home remedies only for three reasons: the decision that pregnant women seek help rests with the mother-in-law and husband; financial considerations; and fear that the treatment may be more harmful than the malady.

They may talk of a comet, or a burning mountain, or some such bagatelle; but to me a modest woman, dressed out in all her finery, is the most tremendous object of the whole creation. ~Oliver Goldsmith Men enjoy being thought of as hunters, but are generally too lazy to hunt. Women, on the other hand, love to hunt, but would rather nobody knew it. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

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