The document summarizes key labor laws and regulations that provide protections for female workers in India, including: 1) The Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act, Maternity Benefit Act 1961, Equal Remuneration Act 1976, and Factories Act 1948 which outline requirements for facilities like creches, maternity benefits, working hours, and hazardous job restrictions for women. 2) Under the Contract Labour Act, creches must be provided for sites with over 20 female workers, and female contract workers cannot work before 6am or after 7pm. 3) The Maternity Benefit Act entitles women to paid maternity leave for 12 weeks - 6 before and 6 after delivery -

1. FollowingActsandRulesprovidesthe provisionapplicable tofemaleworkers/employeesandare
brieflyenumeratedbelow:
 CONTRACT LABOUR (REGULATION& ABOLITION) ACT
 CONTRACT LABOUR (REGULATIONAND ABOLITION) CENTRAL RULES, 1971
 MATERNITY BENEFIT ACT, 1961 R/W STATE WISERULES
 EQUAL REMUNERATION ACT, 1976
 THE FACTORIES ACT, 1948
 THE CONTRACT LABOUR (REGULATIONAND ABOLITION ) CENTRAL RULES,1971-
CONSTRUCTIONAND MAINTENANCE OF CRECHES
UNDER CONTRACT LABOUR ACT FOLLOWING PROVISIONSARE PROVIDED FOR FEMALE WORKERS /
EMPLOYEES EMPLOYED UNDER THE CONTRACT.
 Crèchesshouldbe maintained where there are more than20 female employees/workers.
 Provisionsof Rule 25(vi)(a) shouldbe consideredfordetail provisionregardingcrèches.
 “THE CONTRACTLABOUR (REGULATION ANDABOLITION ) CENTRALRULES,1971-
CONSTRUCTION ANDMAINTENANCEOFCRECHES” shouldbe compliedfordevelopmentof
crèches.
 In cases where the workmen employed by the contractor perform the same or similar kind
of work as the workmen directly employed by the principal employer of the
establishment, the wage rates, holidays, hours of work and other conditions of service of
the workmen of the contractor shall be the same as applicable to the workmen directly
employed by the principal employer Rule 25(v)(a).
 No female contract labour shall be employed by any contractor before 6.00 a.m. or after
7.00 p.m
UNDER MATERNITY BENEFIT ACT FOLLOWING PROVISIONSARE PROVIDED FOR FEMALE WORKERS /
EMPLOYEES EMPLOYED BY THE ESTABLISHMENT.
 No employershall knowinglyemploya woman inany establishmentduringthe six weeks
immediatelyfollowingthe dayof her delivery.
 no pregnantwomanshall be requiredbyheremployertodoany workwhichisof an arduous
nature or whichinvolveslonghoursof standingorwhichinany way islikely tointerfere withher
pregnancy.
 Everywomanshall be entitledto,andheremployershall be liablefor,the paymentof maternity
benefitatthe rate of the average dailywage forthe periodof heractual absence,thatisto say,
the periodimmediatelyprecedingthe dayof herdelivery,the actual dayof her deliveryandany
periodimmediatelyfollowingthatday.
 The maximumperiodforwhichanywomanshall be entitledtomaternitybenefitshall be twelve
weeksof whichnotmore than six weeks shall precede the date of herexpecteddelivery

2.  EverywomanentitledtomaternitybenefitunderthisActshall alsobe entitledtoreceivefrom
heremployeramedical bonusof twohundredandfiftyrupees,if nopre-natal confinementand
post-natal care isprovidedforbythe employerfree of charge.
 Whena womanabsentsherself fromworkinaccordance withthe provisionsof thisAct,itshall
be unlawful forheremployertodischarge ordismissherduringor onaccount of suchabsence
or to give notice of discharge ordismissal toher.
 (2) The amountof maternitybenefitforthe periodprecedingthe date of herexpecteddelivery
shall be paidinadvance by the employertothe womanonproductionof a certificate inFormB
and the amountdue for the subsequentperiodshall be paidbythe employertothe woman
withinforty-eighthoursof productionof the certificate.
UNDER THE FACTORIES ACT FOLLOWING PROVISIONSARE PROVIDED FOR FEMALE WORKERS /
EMPLOYEES EMPLOYED BY THE ESTABLISHMENT.
 No woman shall be allowed to clean, lubricate or adjust any part machinery which is in
motion, if the cleaning, lubrication or adjustment thereof would expose the woman to risk
of injury.
 No woman or child shall be employed in any part of a factory for pressing cotton in
which a cotton-opener is at work:
 No woman shall be required or allowed to work in any factory except between the hours
of 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.
 No female adolescent who has not attained the age of seventeen years but who has been
granted a certificate of fitness to work in a factory as an adult, shall be required or
allowed to work in any factory except between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m.:
 No female child shall be required or allowed to work in any factory except between 8
a.m. and 7 p.m.
 in the case of a female worker, maternity leave for any number of days not exceeding
twelve weeks.
Please note that above genderspecificprovisionscontainedin the above laws. All other
provisionsshall be equallyapplicable to all employeesirrespectiveoftheirgender.