Over the years, India has seen many legal changes aimed at making things better and fairer for women in business. From ensuring equal pay to creating safer work environments, the law is slowly but surely evolving to support women entrepreneurs. To help better understand these legal reforms we reached out to criminal defence lawyer Rhythm Aggarwal and here’s what she shared,
1) Equal Pay For Equal Work
The Equal Remuneration Act of 1976 specifically states that women and men should receive the same pay for performing the same type of work. This is not merely a matter of justice, it’s the law. For those women who own businesses and have employees, this legislation assists in creating a fair and equal work environment where everyone receives their due.
2) Protection From Workplace Harassment
The S*xual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, which was brought in 2013, is a significant move towards making workplaces safer for women. All businesses, including those headed by women, are required to have proper mechanisms in place to deal with complaints. This enables women entrepreneurs to establish respectful and safe workplaces for themselves and their workforce.
3) Improved Maternity Leave
In 2017, the Maternity Benefit Act was updated to give women 26 weeks of paid leave, instead of just 12. This is great for working mothers. But for small businesses, especially those run by women, covering the full cost of this leave can be tough. While the intention of the law is good, many feel the government should help share the cost to make it more balanced.
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4) Support Through Start-up Schemes and Tax Benefits
Start-up India provides special assistance to women-owned businesses, including easier access to patents and less cumbersome rules to abide by. Certain states also provide incentives like reduced stamp duty and property tax concessions if the property is registered in a woman’s name. All these measures ease it for women to become entrepreneurs and expand their business.
Indian laws are gradually shifting from merely guarding women to actually empowering and supporting them.
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