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| Sunday, March 21, 2004 |
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| Sunday, March 21, 2004 |
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Gender and Human Rights. Status of Women Workers in
India GENDER-BASED discrimination is a universal phenomenon. Women constitute half of the world’s population and perform two thirds of the work but earn only a third of the total income and own less than a tenth of the resources. The most discriminated people in the world are usually the ones who lack economic power. This work by Anu Saksena, attempts to highlight differences in the situations of male and female workers and the changing trends in the work participation rate among women across various sectors. Data and interviews not only with the women affected by such discrimination but also with their employers make this study authentic. Concentrating on women’s participation in the textile industries of Mumbai and Bhiwandi, the work tries to analyse the "situation of women workers in both the organised and unorganised sectors of the textile industry." There is no dearth of declarations and conventions which promise to herald a new dawn for women. But to what extent do these help in mitigating the problems faced by these women in their day-to-day lives? Do these declarations address problems encountered by women in their workplace besides those that they face at home? Human rights laws often tend to ignore this vital connection between the women’s homes and workplaces. The Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) aims to highlight this. Adopted in 1981, it tries "to give visibility to the rights of women and bring them to the forefront of the human rights agenda." The author argues that it aims to humanise international human rights laws by bringing these into the realm of the women’s private lives, where generally women’s rights are violated. The Optional Protocol is an important part in this regard. This gives right of individual petition, thus, enabling "women at the domestic level to enforce their rights." Merely increasing the participation rate of women in the workforce will not help in solving their problems but it should go a long way in improving their economic and social status. The writer lists the two major problems faced by women at the workplace — lack of job security and low wages. These two factors render the women incapable of asserting themselves. Then, because their work is viewed as traditional, it is placed low at the hierarchy of skills with little scope of upward mobility. The fifth chapter is an eye-opener as it deals with the steps taken by the state in protecting the rights of women workers. Certain cases where the rights of women workers were protected highlight the scope of judicial activism. An informative work, the study aims to highlight exploitation of women in the unorganised sector. It shows how increasing mechanisation and the introduction of new technologies have displaced women from their place at work, thus adding to their woes. The study rightly concludes "developmental programmes need to be more flexible for providing sustainable employment to women." This would mean greater involvement of not only voluntary organisations but also of the community at large. The annexures give a vital account of the CEDAW and also define the areas covered by the Convention. This is a useful book for researchers working for the empowerment of women. |
