Date:26/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/26/stories/2007102659410700.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

‘Bias forcing women to quit early’

Bageshree S.

Bangalore: The workforce in the garment industry, the largest organised sector employer in the State, is characterised by a large presence of young women. As much as 68 per cent of workers in the garment industry in Bangalore are women. While this presents a cheerful picture of women’s empowerment, there is a seamier side to this reality. A recent study has revealed that gender-related discrimination is forcing many of them to quit the industry early.

The study, by D. Rajasekhar and R. Manjula of the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC), shows that the number of women in the garment industry sharply declines as their age increases. The trend in the case of male workers is just the opposite. “The initial focus of our study was on social security benefits in the garment industry.

The age factor was what hit us in the face,” Dr. Rajasekhar told The Hindu. The inverse relationship between the age and the proportion of women workers has resulted in a specific pattern in the workforce, where most women workers are young and male workers are in the middle-age group. This implies that the young women workers leave the industry before they acquire the skills required to earn higher wages or better positions in the hierarchy.

While some reasons for the early exit from the industry are predictable, such as marriage, childbirth and other familial compulsions, there are other factors within the factory premises that result in high attrition rates among young women, the study shows. Even as a relatively significant number of garment units now tend to give minimum wages and some social security benefits — thanks to export market’s demands on labour standards and the growth of the industry resulting in increased demand for labour —, the attrition rate is high among women because of gender discrimination on the factory floors, reveals the study.

The study makes a significant observation, linking harassment to the industrial practice of fixing targets for workers. “A major problem faced by workers is the targets fixed by employers on the quantum of work to be done,” says the study. These targets, workers complained to the researchers, are stiff and three to four times the capacity of a worker. This ensures tremendous control on the workforce, as the work contract mentions that the employer has an obligation to meet the target.

An important feature of the targets, the study notes, is that it they are fixed and monitored by supervisors who are male. On the one hand difficulties of night travel and familial obligations make it difficult for women to work extra time to meet the targets and on the other, “abuse” by male supervisors for not meeting the targets and slackening forces many women workers to quit their jobs.

“The abusive language often assumes sexist connotation in the industry,” says Dr. Rajasekhar. “Unable to bear this, several women simply leave their jobs although minimum wages are paid and statutory benefits are provided,” he says. The women workers interviewed said that they cannot voice their problems for the fear of losing their jobs. “Many of them were scared even to talk to us,” says Dr. Rajasekhar.