ABSTRACT
This article tries to explore the intricate dynamics between economic growth and female labor force participation in India, where considerable economic growth over the last 25 years has been associated with a paradoxical decline in women’s employment. This paper examines how social norms, traditions, educational inequalities, safety issues, technological changes, and gender-based division of labor impact the participation of women in the workforce. Legislative measures such as the Factories Act (1948), Mines Act (1952), Maternity Benefits Act (1961), and legislation against workplace harassment do not help remove systemic barriers. The discussion here is that there is a need for policies targeted at demand and supply-side factors, including the expansion of educational opportunities for women and the availability of accessible, safe, and diverse employment options. This study, therefore, highlights the need to enable women through more inclusive labor laws and societal reforms that would bring about equitable growth and sustainable development by digging into historical employment data and identifying critical socio-economic challenges.
Keywords: Female labor force participation, economic growth, labor laws, work place safety
INTRODUCTION
Female labor force participation and development are inextricably intertwined, involving, among other things, changes in economic growth, literacy, fertility rates, and social standards. Understanding women’s employment is crucial. Policy should target both labor demand and supply to improve employment quality. It is vital to expand secondary education, but it is also critical to provide jobs for women. One of the most important features is that the females in India who are addressing the issue of women’s rights and protections are doing it positively. From antiquity to the present, women have fought for social importance and a respectable status in society. At the time, Indian women were in desperate need of rules that would improve their social position while also protecting them from physical and psychological harm. In the previous twenty-five years, India has seen tremendous economic growth, structural changes in the economy, an increase in educational attainment levels, and fast urbanization. During the same time period, the female labor force participation rate fell by 23%. What is the relationship between economic growth and economic activity among women? Is growth sufficient in itself, or does the type of growth matter in drawing more women to the labor force? This article investigates these topics by analyzing state-level employment data from 1983-1984 to 2009-10. Several cross-country and within-country studies indicate that female labor force participation initially declines with economic development, then plateaus at a particular stage before rising again. This is attributed primarily to structural factors.
The factors that are affecting female employment:
- Social factors
This is the most important factor in overcoming women’s low level of employment. Such attitudes that discourage women from working have their roots in the social structure of society. This has prevented them from acting as house builders. Principles of social justice and control recognize and respect women’s work. (There are many different levels of behavior between men and women in the social field and women’s participation in foreign affairs is wrong, unnecessary and can harm their chastity and beauty.
- Traditions, customs and taboos
Families still believe that women should not be allowed to work to earn a living. If they are allowed to work, their salaries do not go toward running the city. Initially, fathers were reluctant to hire their daughters and resisted spending money on family sales. Traditionally, women were discouraged from leaving the city for school and especially work (and economic coercion has weakened these customs and traditions, but not enough to correct them). they). Many jobs resemble inequality in our society and women are discouraged or legally prohibited from working.
- Housing
Women seeking work outside the city face a housing crisis in terms of safety and security. People who are employed or switching jobs have difficulty moving from one place to another for fear of not finding suitable accommodation. Therefore, women try to avoid this situation which harms their employment, and at the same time, there are fewer houses for working women. They like to work in an accessible environment. This becomes an obstacle to women’s employment.
- Immobility
Inability to travel due to family commitments or lack of child care has limited the employee’s employment. For men, diversifying activities and traveling is not too difficult, but for women it is a great pain. Women cannot move easily due to family obligations and low capacity. But when men leave, all family responsibilities fall on women. Women are not mobile in terms of space, time and energy. Likewise, their menstrual cycle is also affected during pregnancy and several months after giving birth.
- Education
Indians tend to consider “a son’s education and career as more important than a daughter’s”, for the simple reason that sons are undoubtedly the main breadwinners in the family when they get married. Investing in education prioritizes male children in Indian society Women’s children have little opportunity to receive preferential treatment in education, especially at the university level. Parents often compromise due to education level and cost for women as they invest for education and not for employment perspective. The education of women increases their value in the marriage market and conversely, the education of boys tends towards their jobs and that is why they enjoy the best education.
- Technological Development
When new technology was introduced into specific automated crafts, women often lost their jobs because they were constrained and held responsible for the craft. Research has shown that technological changes have eliminated many jobs traditionally held by women, and some job opportunities are not being created for women at the same level as men.
- Gender division of labor
The gender category has gone beyond homework to work outside the home. Women are more likely to participate in agricultural activities that require less skill and are less remunerative and heavy work. Even in sectors where women work in large numbers such as textiles and garments, export-oriented sectors such as clothing, electronics, the construction industry and the construction industry are characterized by a division of labor. jobs based on gender. Although India has many labor laws, it tends to ignore what happens to women and their perception is often that of fathers.
WOMEN’S RIGHTS UNDER LABOR LAW
Labor law applies to the area where workers work under contract. Women workers need special protection, which is why there are various labor laws relating to the health, safety and welfare of women:
- Factories Act, 1948.
The Act was extensively amended in 1987 to place restrictions on the use and disposal of hazardous substances in established hazardous industries such as toilets and urinals, such as toilets and urinals. restrict employment in dangerous jobs while also stipulating that women are not allowed to be employed. cleaning, lubricating or repairing any part of the main transformer of any transmission system, lubricating or repairing may expose women to risk of injury by removal of any part of equipment, washing and bathing facilities provided by female staff and providing clean amenities and facilities for children under 6 years of age of these women and must have adequate, clean, well-ventilated, hygienic. Working hours stipulate that the daily working time of adult workers is 9 hours, but sometimes men can work overtime but do not allow women to bypass the limit, maximum allowable volume, limit night work regime and other security measures.
- Mines Act, 1952
An Act enacted to amend and consolidate the legislation relating to personnel management and my safety. Mining means any mining operation in which operations aimed at extracting or extracting minerals have been or are being carried out and includes all open-source operations, railways, railways and mining faces, all grades and slopes, all deposits belonging to the mine. mine. It included a ban on night work, which stipulated that women must be allowed to work from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and there must be a period of at least 11 hours from the cessation of work on any day until the start of the next working period, prohibiting work in hazardous environments, stadiums, restrooms, urinals and other common facilities.
- Maternity Benefits Act, 1961
This Act was passed with a view to minimizing the differences with the existing Maternity Benefits Act and achieving commonality in rates, eligibility and duration of benefit. maternity. This Act repealed the Mine Maternity Benefits Act, 1941, the Bombay Maternity Benefits Act, 1929, maternity protection under the Plantation Labor Act, 1951 and all other provincial laws affecting the same. field.
It applies to all establishments that are factories, mines or farms, including all government institutions and all employment agencies for the exhibition of horse shows, stunts and more than that. Includes a prohibition on the employment of pregnant women, provided that no employer shall promptly employ a woman within 6 weeks immediately following the date of her miscarriage or termination of pregnancy, payment of maternity benefits provided that they knew what to pay at the time of pregnancy. daily salary. includes his date of birth and the six weeks immediately following that date.
It provides that a woman is entitled to maternity benefits for a period of 12 weeks not exceeding six weeks before the expected date of childbirth, protection from discrimination, miscarriage and illness (they will be allowed to abandon medical abortion), sick leave (more than one month leave and maternity leave allowance in case of illness without pregnancy), increase maternity leave to 6 months (Sixth Committee proposed extend maternity leave to six months.
In Delhi Municipal Corporation v. Women Worker, the Supreme Court held that maternity benefit applies to both temporary and salaried employees in this case, the question is whether the workers on the list (temporary and full-time employees) of the municipal organization are entitled to maternity benefits. There is nothing in the Maternity Benefits Act that would allow maternity leave only to regular female workers, but not to those who are employed or registered to receive daily wages.
- POSH Act (Protection of women from Sexual Harassment Act, 2013)
Sexual harassment is considered not only a health and safety issue but also a violation of basic human rights. This is highly offensive and, in some ways, undermines women’s right to equal opportunities and equal treatment in the workplace. The first effort must be to prevent these initial abuses, but in cases where such abuses occur, victims need to be punished and protected.
Women are often unaware of their rights and often stay silent for fear of losing their jobs. Employers must be diligent in raising awareness and addressing sexual harassment in the workplace. Employers and unions must take strong measures to prevent and punish such acts. This can be achieved through policies and procedures adopted by the industry itself.
The POSH is a special law intended to provide a free and violence-free working environment for women. Successful implementation of this law will contribute to realizing their rights to gender equality, health and freedom as well as equality in all working conditions. A sense of security in the workplace will enhance women’s participation in the workplace, leading to their economic development and inclusive growth. The law only applies to sex for women.
India has changed a lot in the past 25 years. Additionally, the country is experiencing significant economic growth characterized by rapid urbanization, rising education rates, and low interest rates. At the same time, however, women’s employment is decreasing over time. Between the ages of 25 and 59, the number of working women decreased by 23%. The rate is very high in some of India’s poorest regions. Many economic and social factors influence women’s employment decisions and their ability to work at both the family and primary school levels. Literacy, fertility and age are the three most important things in the world. Marriage, urbanization and economic growth are factors to take into account. Despite these obstacles, the social norms that define women’s status in the public sector continue to influence outcomes. Much of the debate about India’s downward trend focuses on four main reasons. Measures affecting the budget.
CONCLUSION
The decline in female labor force participation in India, despite rapid economic growth and social progress, indicates the presence of deeply entrenched structural and cultural barriers. Some of these factors are strict social norms, inadequacy of safety measures, restricted mobility, and educational inequality and gendered labor division, which significantly restrict the ability of women to add value to and benefit from the workforce. Even progressive labor laws on the Factories Act, Mines Act, Maternity Benefits Act, and Sexual Harassment legislation all protect women’s rights and interests, poor implementation and an absence of awareness do so much damage to them that they hardly become effective. Such a challenge would be met only with an approach that considers expanding secondary and higher education for women, building a more inclusive workplace environment, ensuring safety and mobility, and actively dismantling discriminatory practices. Economic growth in itself is not sufficient; targeted policy interventions in areas of creating equal opportunities and empowering women are the ways by which women can be enabled to contribute at their fullest. This will lead to India achieving gender equality and more inclusive socio-economic development and growth.
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WRITTEN BY: SHAKCHI VERMA
