100% Of Employment Inequality Faced By Women In Rural Areas Is Due To Gender Discrimination: Report
Discrimination. A pretty heavy word if you think about it. The root of a lot of societal issues and inequalities we are facing currently. And as women, this word is less of a distant evil and more of bitter reality. We have grown up facing some or other sort of gender discrimination growing up. Be it within our own families, schools and a report suggests, even workplaces! According to a recent Oxfam India analysis, gender discrimination is to blame for 98% of the employment gap between men and women in India.
The survey brought to light that women in India face discrimination in the job market despite having the same educational background and work experience as their male colleagues due to societal and corporate stereotypes. According to the India Discrimination Report 2022 by Oxfam India, discrimination accounts for 100% of the inequality in employment that women experience in the labour market in rural areas and 98.6% in urban areas. The analysis also revealed that discrimination accounts for 95% of the pay discrepancy between male and female casual wage workers and 83.3% of the gender pay gap for self-employed males, who earn 2.5 times more than females. The survey further adds that 98% of the employment difference between men and women is caused by gender discrimination.
The analysis states that women in India would face discrimination in the workplace despite having the same educational background and work experience as men due to societal and employer stereotypes. It stated that discrimination accounts for 93% of the salary discrepancy between men and women.
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The report further revealed that rural self-employed men earn twice as much as female rural self-employed do. Male casual workers earn ₹3,000 more per month than female casual workers, and 96% of that difference is due to discrimination. Discrimination may account for up to 91.1% of the salary disparity between men and women.
The report’s statistical technique, which has gained academic recognition, can now quantify the discrimination women experience in the workforce. According to the survey, discrimination accounts for 67% of the lower salaries for salaried women; education and work experience account for 33%.
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The government was urged by Oxfam India to actively implement effective steps to ensure all women’s rights to equal protection at work and to equal pay. According to the report, the Indian government should provide incentives for women to enter the workforce, such as higher pay, upskilling opportunities, job reservations, and simple post-maternity return-to-work alternatives.
According to the report, if a man and woman start off on an equal basis, the woman will face discrimination in the workplace and fall behind in paid, unpaid, and self-employment positions, according to Oxfam India CEO Amitabh Behar. The analysis concludes that discrimination and not merely a lack of access to education or job experience is to blame for the gender and other socioeconomic disparities in the labour market.
