The Hindu : Business : Women constitute only 6 p.c. of total workforce in industrial sector

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 15, 2005

Business

Business

Women constitute only 6 p.c. of total workforce in industrial sector

Special Correspondent

New opportunities for qualified women to occupy key posts

Discrimination in the organisational structure Maternity leave inadequate No flexible working hours in crèche facilities

WOMEN POWER: Anu Aga, Chairperson, CII National Committee on Women Empowerment, and Director, Thermax (right), releasing the study `Understanding the levels of women empowerment in the workplace' in New Delhi on Wednesday. Rumjhum Chatterjee, Managing Director, Feedback Ventures P. Ltd., looks on. — Photo: V. Sudershan

NEW DELHI: Women constitute only six per cent of the total workforce in corporate houses and this percentage decreases in larger organisations, while in medium organisations it stands at 18 per cent, a study by the Confederation of India Industry (CII) has revealed.

On closer scrutiny it is seen that the overall ratio of women in larger organisations is pulled down by a lower women ratio to total employees ratio in heavy manufacturing units, which comprise a high proportion of large category industries, the study "Understanding the levels of women empowerment in the workplace'' suggests.

New opportunities have been opened up for qualified women to occupy lower and middle-level management posts. Yet, inherent discrimination exists in the organisational structures and process of enterprises, which prevent them from reaching the top positions. The nature of women's career paths is a major factor blocking their progress, as well as lack of access to the necessary networks and the need to harmonise career and family responsibilities, the study points out.

Women's access to management jobs also reflects the cumulative effect of labour market gender inequalities. The challenges for bringing women as a strong force into the mainstream activities call for involving suitable strategies and chalking out modalities for successfully achieving their objective, it says.

Releasing the study, Anu Aga, Chairperson of the National Committee on Women Empowerment of the CII, said women constituted nearly half of the country's population and still their participation in the economic development had come into focus only during recent years.

On further examination, it is seen that while there was a healthier ratio of women managers at the junior management levels, this ratio declines in the senior management positions, coming down to almost universal levels of male leadership in the topmost positions.

The study points out that in most organisations, the maternity leave of the stipulated three months was inadequate. Further, in most organisations there was no provision for flexible working hours of crèche facilities for children.

Also in most organisations the recourse, which a woman can take in case of sexual harassment, is to report the same to the next line of authority.

This is ineffective especially when the perpetrator of the harassment is the next line of authority.

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