Field research on chikan Industry

1. Shakuntla Sangam Assistt. Prof.
Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law
University, Lucknow
1

2. •
•
According to country report of Government of
India, “Empowerment means moving from a
position of enforced powerlessness to one of
power”.
It is a multi-dimensional, multi-tiered and
multifaceted concept; has different meanings
in different socio cultural and political
contexts.
2

3. •
The Constitution of India not only
grants equality to women but also
empowers the State to adopt
measures of positivediscrimination in
favour of women.
•
Articles 14,
15, 15(3), 16, 39(a),
39(c) and 42 of the Constitution ),
39(bare of specific importance in this
regard.
3

4. National Commission for Women.
• National Policy for the
•
Empowerment of Women, 2001
4

5. •
•
The status of women is intimately
connected with their economic status,
which in turn, depends upon rights, roles
and opportunity for the participation in
economic activities.
On the world level, women and girls
together carry out two-third of the burden
of the world’s work yet receive only a
tenth of the world’s income. They form 40
percent of the paid labour force.
5

6. •
women’s economic
empowerment is that, their
capacity to earn income as
well as their ability to make
decisions and control
resources to bring about
economic change for
themselves.
6

7. •
Despite these potential benefits,
women’s status in the labor market is
significantly inferior to the men. They
get lower pay, less security and work
in poor working conditions.
7

8. Women’s enterprises face multiple
challenges.
• Limited access to credit and markets.
• Lack education and other life skills.
• Money management and negotiation.
• Training opportunities for
management, basic book-keeping and
accounting.
•
8

9. •
•
The British increased their share in global
trade by marketing Indian handicraft in their
time. Though disappeared due to long
intentional neglect and some survived due to
the patronage of kings, wealthy craft lovers,
and various socio-cultural practices.
The global market for handicrafts has been
estimated at more than $235 billion.
9

10. Chikan is a major manufacturing
industry in the Lucknow, (UP).
• Chikan is made in stages.
• Male workers dominate all the stages
but the embroidery itself, where over
mostly workers are Muslim women
and female embroiderers are
differentiated primarily in terms of skill
•
10

11. Traders & middlemen compel artisans to sell
their products at throwaway prices.
These products are then sold in global craft
bazaars at high cost.
Artisans are forced to sell crafts on weight
basis later to be sold piece by piece for huge
profits. Now production has increased due to
global demand but benefit does not
percolate to the majority of the artisans.
11

12. 1. Protecting & preserving the culture and
heritage of Lucknow. That is a guarantee to
a sustainable growth of handicrafts which
have a market world-wide.
2. Surviving of genuine artistry & sustain their
livelihood among artisan community.
3. Access of work through middlemen/agent.
4. Denial fair share of earning.
5. Import of cheap embroidery machines from
china for machine embroidery cheaper
rate.
12

13. The dependence of embroidery workers upon
female agents calls into question whether
gender can be a basis for solidarity and
action.
Chikan is a style of hand-embroidered
clothing whose production is time and again
described in the literature as an instance of
the oppression of undifferentiated female
workers by male agents and traders
13

14. •
There are no reliable figures on how many
embroiderers there are; estimates range
from 100,000 to 2.5 lakh and chikan is
currently a mass-market commodity, cheap,
coarse work is far more common than fine
work. Study is based on field survey. Thus
a total 104 workers were extensively
surveyed.
14

15. Tailors
Washer men
Printers
Chikankars/Artisans
Agents
Total
15

16. 6
14
cutting masters,
6
66
tailors,
printers,
chikankars,
6
washer men and
9
agents
Thus a total of 107 workers were
extensively surveyed.
16

17. Table-2 Religion wise chikan
workers (Household) in
Lucknow
Hindu
Muslim
Hindu
Total
Muslim
Total
17

18. •
Out of our survey 29 were Hindu workers and
78were Muslim workers, meaning that
percentage-wise they are 26.67 per cent and
73.33 per cent respectively. If the entire
family members of the 107 respondent chikan
workers are added, it comes altogether 579
persons out of which males and females are
276 and 303 respectively.
18

19. Female
Male
Total
19

20. The entire family members of the
107 respondent chikan workers
are added, it comes altogether 579
persons out of which
males and
females are 276 and 303
respectively.
20

21. Hindu
Muslim
21

22. The overall sex ratio among the family
members of chikan craft workers is
high, i.e. 1098 females per 1000
males. The highest sex ratio is found
among the families of chikankars, i.e.
1407 females per 1000 males.
22

23. Female
Male
23

24. About 44.20 and 38.61 per cent
among male and female population
of chikan craft households are
below High School and above High
school are few in numbers.
24

25. 50
45
40
35
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Female
Chikankar/
Artisans
Female Agent
Male Agent
Male Agent
Printer
25

26. Chikankar females are in majority among chikan
craft workers, whose average income is
Rs.575.00 per month.
Income of female agent is about Rs.2171.00
per month, which is highest even in comparison
to female’s working in other than chikan craft
jobs.
Though male workers in chikan craft are less
than the females, but their earning is between
Rs.1680.00
to
Rs.3750.00
per
month, which is quite high.
26

27. 7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
cutting
masters
Tailors
washer men
27

28. Among total 107 chikan craft workers, 2 male &7
female
agents,
were
each
earning
Rs.3750.00 (highest) & Rs.2171.42 per
month respectively, whereas 6 male cutting
masters each earning Rs.3300.00 per month;
6 washermen, each earning Rs.2816.66 per
month, 14 male printers, each earning
Rs.2542.85, 6 male tailors reported earning
Rs.1680.83 and 63 female chikankars
28

29. The status of women to an abysmally low
position from Vedic times.
Research shows that inequalities persist in
the way paid and unpaid work is divided
between women and men
There is no mechanism where Middlemen/
agent may be compelled to give proper
wages, as the work force is in surplus and
they compete among themselves to work
on lesser wages for their survival.
29

30. India's share in global handicraft export
is less than 2 per cent, with available
potential it can reach 4 per cent
export target. And a sustainable
export growth depends on the survival
of genuine artistry among the artisan
community.
30

31. Artisans should be included under
Minimum Wages Act to receive a
minimum level of wage protection.
Welfare schemes and provisions under
different laws should be extended to them.
Women engaged in Chikan embroidery as
home based worker needs different
measures for empowerment , protection
and welfare.
31

32. THANK YOU!
32