Gender Discrimination Cause For 98% Of Employment Gap Between Men & Women In India: Report

Gender discrimination is the cause of 98 per cent of the employment gap between men and women in India, as per the recent report by Oxfam India, a non-profit organisation working to support child education, empower women and fight against inequality in the country.

The report titled 'India Discrimination Report 2022' pointed out that females in India, despite their exact educational qualifications and work experience as males, will be discriminated against in the labour market due to societal and employers' predispositions.

A Detailed Analysis Of Report Finding

The report highlights that discrimination results in 100 per cent of employment inequality witnessed by women in rural and 98 per cent in urban areas in the labour market, reported NDTV.

The report noted that self-employed men earn 2.5 times more than women, 83 per cent of which is attributed to gender-based discrimination, and 95 per cent of the difference between the earnings of both casual wage workers is because of discrimination.

As per the report, gender discrimination is the cause of 98 per cent of the employment gap between men and women. It read, "Women in India, despite their same educational qualification and work experience as men, will be discriminated in the labour market due to societal and employers' prejudices."

Further, the report stated that 93 per cent of the gap between the earnings of both genders is because of discrimination. It read, "Rural self-employed males earn twice what females earn in rural areas. Male casual workers earn ₹ 3,000 per month more than females, 96 per cent of which is attributed to discrimination."

As high as 91.1 per cent of the difference in earnings between men and women is detailed by discrimination.

The academically recognised statistical model in the report can now quantify women's discrimination in the labour market. The report said that the lower wages for salaried females are because of 67 per cent of discrimination and 33 per cent because of lack of education and work experience.

What Does Oxfam CEO Say?

The non-profit organisation working to support child education, empower women and fight against inequality pulled the government to vigorously implement effective measures for the protection and right to equal wages and work for all females.

The report mentioned that the Indian government should also incentivise the participation of women in the workforce, including improvement in pay, job reservations, upskilling and easy return-to-work options post maternity.

Amitabh Behar, CEO of Oxfam India, cited that the reports found are if a man and woman begin on an equal footing, the woman will be discriminated against in the economic sphere where she will lag in regular or salaried, casual and self-employment.

He said, "The inequality in the labour market for gender and other social categories, the report finds, is not just due to poor access to education or work experience but because of discrimination."

The Oxfam India report findings are based on the government data on employment and labour collated from 2004-05 to 2019-20. It refers to unit-level data from 2004 to 2005, 61st round National Sample Survey (NSS) data on employment-unemployment, then in 2018-19 and 2019-20, the Periodic Labour Force Survey and the All India Debt and Investment Survey by the government.

Also Read: Fulfilling Long-Overdue Demands, Cabinet Approves Revision Of Scheduled Tribes Lists For 5 States