Nagpur: In the times of gender equality and women’s rights a grim picture has appeared when it comes to female employability. A significant fall has been registered in the female employment over the period of 13 years. Data received from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) i.e. an employment-unemployment survey 2017-18 released by the Ministry of Statistic and Programme Implementation shows that over the period of 13 years, while male employment grew by 6 crore, female employment fell by 1.5 crore in both organized and unorganized sectors.
Women’s share in employment has plunged from an already low level of 27.08% in 2004 to 21.17 per cent in 2017. Evidently, while there were 11.15 crore women with jobs in 2004, only 9.67 crore were employed 13 years later.
With unemployment rate touching a nerve-wracking 45-year high, the PLFS data also reveals gender differences in workforce participation and wages. While issues like harassment, exploitation both at home and work place holds firm, the enraged females are now getting vocal against state of unemployment and discrimination incidents and subsequent administration’s inaction in the matter.
Talking to Nagpur Today many females were of the view that while country is staring at employment crises of of the sort, Government is sitting idle over it. Females also stressed upon the need of financial independence in the modern era.
Manpreet Pawar, who works as a professor at a private institution says “To earn one’s living, financial independency is must and hence it is important for every individual to be financially independent especially for females. In our country, where women are still considered as efficient home-makers, they face acute crises in marital lives if they are not self employed. While higher studies with first class are mandatory, on doing so the administration turns their blind eye towards employment issues. Above all, in order to hide their own flaws, the government then rejects aspirants on the pretext of lack of skills, communication etc rather than cleaning their own mess.”
On the issues of different wages at workplaces Kinjal Bansod, an IT Professional says “I think the wage gap is not limited to salaried employment. Gender differences in earnings can also be seen in self-employment and casual labors. In the case of self-employment, women made less than men. Having said that, it is extremely important for all women – be it married, single or separated to be financially independent. Though government claims to run skill programmes to empower women but where to use the skills when administration itself fails to create jobs?”
– Shubham Nagdeve
