India Discrimination Report 2022: Oxfam India

India Discrimination Report 2022: Oxfam India

• According to a recent Oxfam India Report, discrimination in India is the sole cause of the job imbalance that affects women in rural areas and 98 per cent of those in urban areas.
• Based on government data on employment and labour from 2004–2005 through 2019–2020, the report's conclusions.

Important Points:

• The proportion of the working-age population that actively participates in the labour market, either by working or looking for a job, is known as the labour force participation rate (LFPR).
• In India, it fell from 42.7% in 2004–05 to 25.1% in 2021, indicating that women are leaving labour despite the country's significant economic growth over that time.

Men and Women's Pay Gap:

• In 2019–20, 60% of all males aged 15 and older worked regularly for a salary or on their own, compared to 19% of girls in the same age group.
• Discrimination in the workplace: Women who work as casual employees make around Rs. 3,000 less than their male counterparts.
• Rising discrimination against SC/ST: Self-employed SC/STs earn Rs 5,000 less than non-SC/STs, and discrimination is responsible for 41% of this difference.
• Gender discrimination in rural and urban areas: In India, structural gender discrimination leads to significant salary gaps between men and women under "normal circumstances."
• The data for the years 2004–2005, 2018–19, and 2019–20 provide evidence for this. Between 50% and 70%, there are significant wage discrepancies for temporary employees in both rural and urban locations.

Discrimination Causes

• Prejudices in society and among employers are to blame for the lower pay for women.
• Having little access to the education system and the workforce.
• A sizable portion of highly qualified women desires employment due to societal obligations or domestic duties.
• A sharp decline in women's informal employment in cities throughout the first quarter of the pandemic.

Constitutional Provisions against Discrimination

• Equality Before the Law: According to Article 14 of the Indian Constitution, no one should be denied treatment as an equal before the law or the equal protection of the laws on Indian territory.
• All individuals, whether citizens or non-citizens, statutory corporations, businesses, registered societies, or any other sort of legal person, are granted the right.
• Discrimination Is Prohibited: According to Article 15, no citizen may be subjected to discrimination solely on the basis of their religion, race, caste, sex, or place of birth.
• Equality of Opportunity in Public Employment: Article 16 of the Indian Constitution guarantees everyone the same chances while applying for jobs or being appointed to public positions.

Suggestions/Next Steps

• Uphold laws that safeguard the right to equal pay and working conditions.
• Work to actively encourage women to enter the workforce by measures such as wage increases, skill upgrades, job reservations, simple return-to-work alternatives, particularly following maternity leave, and the ability to work from home, whenever it is feasible.
• We must make sure that men and women share domestic chores and childcare responsibilities more fairly.
• Establishing "living wages" in place of minimum wages, especially for all undocumented workers, and formalising contractual, temporary, and casual employment as much as possible