Amid concerns over the suboptimal rate of female labour force participation in the country, the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) and the Ministry of Women & Child Development have launched a new survey on “increasing women participation in the workforce”.
The EPFO has reached out to its subscribers seeking details regarding the facilities available for women workers in companies across the country, including provision of flexibility in working hours for women and ‘equal pay’ for female workers.
The survey has a detailed questionnaire seeking organisation details, whether or not there is an internal complaints committee for addressing Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) formalities, ‘equal pay for equal work’ for male and female workers, availability of flexible or remote working hours for women, crèche facilities for children, and whether transportation facilities are provided to workers during late hours.
Official data shows that women’s Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) has improved over the last few years but much of this increase has been seen in the unpaid work category. As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the female participation rate increased to 27.8 per cent in 2022-23 from 17.5 per cent in 2017-18, but a major chunk of this increase is accounte for by women reported as employed as “helpers in household enterprises”, who do not receive any regular salary or wages for their work.
As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), female labour force participation rate reduced to 8.73 per cent in 2022-23 from 11.80 per cent in 2017-18. Female LFPR in rural areas slowed to 9.68 per cent in 2022-23 from 12.16 per cent in 2017-18, while that in urban areas moderated to 6.90 per cent in 2022-23 from 11.10 per cent in 2017-18.
In the proposed four labour codes, the government has incorporated specific provisions for safeguarding the employment of women workers. For instance, The Code on Social Security, 2020 provides for enhanced paid maternity leave, provision for mandatory crèche facilities in establishments having 50 or more employees, permitting women workers in the night shifts with adequate safety measures, etc, while the Code on Occupational Safety, Health And Working Conditions (OSH), 2020 has proposed tweaks in employment terms and conditions for women workers in the above-ground mines, whereas The Code on Wages 2019 has provisions for no gender-based discrimination for wages in an establishment for similar nature of work.
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