​Good job: On Tamil Nadu and women in hazardous jobs Politics & News

Small, incremental steps are what set a flywheel in motion. As far as labour laws go, the Tamil Nadu government’s proposal to allow women to be employed in about 20 operations listed as ‘dangerous’, and from which they were prohibited from being employed in so far, is progressive. The government has proposed amendments to the Tamil Nadu Factories Rules, 1950, to allow women to take up even jobs titled hazardous or dangerous, when these Rules come into practice; only pregnant women and young persons will be barred from these jobs. Earlier, the government had amended the Rules to allow women to be deployed on the night shift in factories, changing the historic practice of keeping them out. In this recent amendment, which was hosted in the public realm for feedback in September, factories are also required to get the woman’s consent in writing for the night shift. These are changes that have come literally, rule by rule, but in effect, the government has shrugged off its patriarchal stance here, freeing up women from the perception that they are vulnerable and weak and will have to be protected by the State. The operations which are set to be opened for women include electrolytic process, glass manufacture, manufacture and treatment of lead, generation of gas and petroleum, blasting, liming and tanning of raw hides and skins, graphite powdering, manufacture of dichromates and carcinogenic dye intermediates, fireworks and match factories, manufacture of manganese, dangerous pesticides, use of benzene, and operations involving high noise and vibration levels.

Removing legal barriers is the first step toward implementing progressive measures that will facilitate more equitable workplaces. However crucial this first step is in rectifying age-old patriarchy-reinforced assigned gender roles in society and industry, it is not enough. This should be followed up by provision of adequate amenities and facilities for women, including separate toilets, changing rooms, and closed areas for conducting medical checks which are mandated for such industries, besides drop home facilities in places that have hitherto had no women workers at all. This will clearly require some investment, close involvement of the management, and at least initially, active monitoring by State labour authorities. The government must also take care to ensure that women who are in circumstances that might not enable their participation in these jobs are not forced into them, or penalised for not opting for these tasks. Without this being set in place, any progressive measure to dismantle the barriers that keep Indian society from being a more equitable job market will turn out to be a damp squib.