Syllabus: Role of women and women’s organisations
Tamil Nadu Initiative
- Rule Amendment: Tamil Nadu proposed amendments to Factories Rules, 1950 allowing women in 20 dangerous operations.
- Previous Prohibition: Women earlier barred from hazardous jobs; only pregnant women and young persons excluded now.
- Night Shift Reform: Government previously amended Rules allowing women’s deployment on factory night shifts.
- Written Consent: Recent amendment requires factories obtaining woman’s written consent for night shift work.
- Patriarchal Shift: Government abandoned protective stance viewing women as vulnerable, weak, needing state protection.
Implementation Requirements
- Legal Barriers Removed: First step toward progressive measures facilitating equitable workplaces across industries.
- Inadequacy Warning: Removing barriers alone is insufficient; it must be followed by adequate amenities and facilities provision.
- Essential Facilities: Separate toilets, changing rooms, closed medical check areas mandatory for such industries.
- Transport Provision: Drop home facilities required in places previously having no women workers.
- Investment Need: Requires management investment, involvement and active state labour authorities monitoring initially.
Safeguards Needed
- Voluntary Participation: Ensure women in difficult circumstances not forced into hazardous jobs unwillingly.
- No Penalisation: Women opting out of dangerous tasks must not face penalties or discrimination.
- Progressive Implementation: Without proper safeguards, measures dismantling job market barriers will fail completely.