One-fourth of female population constitutes women labour

New Delhi, July 12 (UNI) One-fourth of female population constitutes women labour where majority of organised sector women workers are empolyed in community, social and personal serivces.

The 127.22 million women workers form 25.60 per cent of total female population, which is estimated to be 496 million in absolute terms. The majority of women workers are employed in the rural areas.

According to Census 2001, 87 per cent of rural women workers are employed in agriculture as labourers and cultivators. In the urban areas, 80 per cent women are employed in unorganised sectors like household industries, petty trades and services, building and construction.

The employment of women in the organised sector (both public and private sectors) as on March 31,2002 was about 4.935 million constituting 17.8 per cent of the total organised sector employment in the country.

The lowest employment of women has been noticed in electricity, gas and water sectors. In factory and plantation establishments women workers constituted 10 per cent and 5 per cent respectively while in mine establishments they constitute 5 per cent of the total workers in 2000.

Although the women workers constitute a significant part of the country's work force, they lag behind men in terms of level and quality of employment.

In order to improve their wages and working conditions, to enhance their skills and to open up for them better employment opportunities as well as to strengthen their bargaining capacity, the Government has enacted several legislations.

These include the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 to protect and safeguard the interest of women workers at the workplaces. The Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 prohibits any gender discrimination in recruitment, wages and service conditions.

Under the Act, a Central Advisory Committee has been set up at the Centre, to advise the Government at the national level on providing increasing employment opportunities for women and generally reviewing the steps taken for effective implementation of the Act.

A separate Women Labour Cell is functioning in the Ministry of Labour and Employment to address these problems.

UNI