Question : Female Workforce at Risk of Job Displacement

(a) whether a disproportionately large share of the female workforce is at risk of job displacement due to automation as women are under represented in managerial and professional positions and if so, the details and the reaction of the Government thereto;

(b) the steps taken to endow women with required skills, close gender gaps in leadership positions and bridge digital gender divide that could confer greater flexibility in work, benefiting women;

(c) whether India has one of the lowest female Labour Force Participation rates (LFPR), among BRICS countries, if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;

(d) the steps taken to generate awareness to espouse a positive attitude towards women among the public, since it is one of the most important impediments in women’s participation in economic activities; and

(e) whether the Government proposes to make it incumbent upon Private Companies to disclose gender diversity in hiring employees, if so, the details thereof?

MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) to (e): As per the results of available labour force surveys on Employment-Unemployment conducted by Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, the estimated labour force participation rate for females aged 15 years & above on usual status basis in the country during 2011-12, 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2015-16 was 30.0%, 26.5%, 31.1% and 27.4 % respectively.

As per the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Study on ‘Women Participation-Equal Pay for Equal Value’ for BRICS Labour and Employment Minister’s Meeting held in Durban, South Africa, August, 2018; “despite some significant progress in recent years, the gender gaps in the labour market participations remain large in BRICS countries. In some countries, the gap has widened rather than decreasing, and the years of solid economic growth have not necessarily led to higher female labour market participation.”

The decline in female work force participation rate may be attributed to factors like increased educational enrolment, insufficient formal wage employment opportunities etc. Government has taken several initiatives to improve the employability of youth including women. A new Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship has been established to coordinate the skill development schemes across various sectors. Government has also implemented the National Career Service (NCS) Project which comprises a digital portal that provides a nation-wide online platform for jobseekers and employers for job matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner and has a repository of career content.

Further, Government has taken various steps to increase female labour participation rate which includes the enactment of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017 which provides for enhancement in paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks and provisions for mandatory crèche facility in the establishments having 50 or more employees; issue of an advisory to the States under the Factories Act, 1948 for permitting women workers in the night shifts with adequate safety measures. Further, in order to enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a network of Women Industrial Training institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. A number of protective provisions have been incorporated in various labour laws for creating congenial work environment for women workers.

The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 provides for payment of equal remuneration to men and women workers for same work or work of similar nature without any discrimination. Further, under the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, the wages fixed by the appropriate Government are equally applicable to both male and female workers and the Act does not discriminate on the basis of gender.
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