workplace-discrimination B.Ed.

1. WORK
PLACE
DISCRIMINATION
By:
Dr. Rakhi Sawlani

2. WORK PLACE DISCRIMINATION -
DEFINITION
 The prejudicial or unjust treatment of certain categories of people
especially on the grounds of sex, sexual orientation, race or age.
 The unfair treatment of a person based on his or her gender especially
against women is called as gender discrimination. Discrimination on the
basis of sex especially the oppression of women by men.
 It is a common problem in India and its outcomes are disastrous for
country.

3. THE HARD FACTS…
 • The gender pay gap in India for the year 2013 was recorded at 24.81% by Wage indicator
and a curious stat is that this gap increases with age.
 • Women below the age of 30 earned 23.07% less than men, while those in the age group of
30-40 years earned 30.24% less than men.
 • educational qualifications also end up increasing this wage gap.
 • There is a dearth of women in key and senior leadership positions in India.
 • One of the biggest reasons why women occupy fewer leadership positions is the lack of
support after marriage, both professionally and domestically.
 • Although times are evolving and there are even cases of women being the "bread-winners“
and men the "home-makers", women are still subtly pressured to make professional
compromises for the family.
 • Biases in performance appraisals and difficult work-life balance choices make these issues
much more challenging.
 • Wider power structures that impede this equality are ignored by organizations.

5. DIFFERENT FORMS DISCRIMINATION
AT WORK PLACE
 1. Age Discrimination - An organisation may prefer younger candidates as
potential employees to employees in their middle ages, just because younger
employees are more likely to work for a lesser pay. This age discrimination in the
workplace may even be put into practice while terminating employees.
 2. Personality Discrimination - Companies may also refuse to recruit or
mistreat employees just because they are not good-looking and do not have a
pleasing personality, irrespective of their skill sets. Some organizations may even
reject job applicants who are obese or disabled.
 3. Gender Discrimination - Gender discrimination in the workplace means the
employer gives importance to the employee's gender, rather than skill, while
deciding on the pay, promotion, and work responsibilities.

6. CONTD..
4. GENDER PAY-GAP - unequal pay between both genders.
5. GENDER DISCRIMINATION AT ENTRY LEVEL - obstacles experienced by
women during job recruitment. Women are not allowed to progress even if
they are talented to they are kept at the entry level jobs by the employers.
6. GENDER ADVANCEMENT GAP - The men are often rewarded with higher
incentives and salaries as compared to women, but it is to be noted that the
women in several cases have proved to be more deserving and hardworking
and deserve a better position in the area of workplace. Promotion are generally
handed to the male employees as they are expected to be more responsible and
capable of handling the job which might be a debatable question as nowadays
women are better off as compared to the men at top level of organization.

7. CONTD..
 7. SEXUAL HARASSMENT - The most severe form in which this
discrimination occurs is sexual harassment. Bullying employees and
delegating office work which might not cover the specialization of
the concerned employee.
8. MARITAL STATUS DISCRIMINATION takes place when the
employer takes decisions about employment while considering
whether the person is married, living alone, divorced, or widowed.
Researches has stated that in workplaces men and women who are
generally involved with the other sex are judged more harshly when
they commit mistakes.

8. MEASURES TO ELIMINATE GENDER
DISCRIMINATION AT THE WORKPLACE
 Important legislation for gender-based issues at workplace:
 Equal Remuneration Act of 1976, India
 • There should be payment of equal remuneration whether in
cash or kind to men and women workers for same or similar
nature of work protected under the Act.
 • It also provides that the employers must not discriminate on
the basis of sex in the recruitment of workers for the same or
similar work, or in any terms or conditions of employment,
such as promotion, training or transfer.

9. ROLE OF INTERNATIONAL LABOUR
ORGANIZATION (ILO)
• The only tripartite U.N. agency, since 1919 the ILO brings together governments, employers
and workers of 187 member States , to set labour standards, develop policies and devise
programmes promoting decent work for all women and men.
• The primary objective of the ILO is to promote the opportunities for women and men to
obtain decent and productive work in conditions of freedom, equity, security and human
dignity.
• Decent work is the converging focus of the four strategic objectives, namely rights at work,
greater employment and income opportunities, social protection and social dialogue.
• India is a founder member of the International Labour Organization, which came into
existence in 1919. At present the ILO has 186 Members.

10. LABOUR ORGANISATIONS IN INDIA
 All india labour employment union
 Employers federation of india
 ESI Corporation
 Society for labour and development
 AIFLU
 All india organisation of employers
 Ministry of labour and employment - The Ministry of Labour & Employment is one of
the oldest and important Ministries of the Government of India. The main
responsibility of the Ministry is to protect and safeguard the interests of workers in
general and those who constitute the poor, deprived and disadvantage sections of the
society.
 BMS is the largest trade union of India. The firm or industry level trade unions are
often affiliated to larger Federations. The largest Federations in the country represent
labour at the National level and are known as Central Trade Union Organisations
(CTUO).

11. HOW TO OVERCOME THIS PROBLEM ?
 When countries are able to raise the female labor
participation rate, this stands to benefit the entire economy.
 Apart from potential GDP growth, equal employment
opportunities for women could also result in increased
growth and profitability in the private sector.
 It is also important to note that women in India perform 9.8
times the amount of labor in the unpaid sector either
through household duties or care work.
 If this work was measured and valued, it was estimated by
McKinsey that it would contribute 0.3 trillion dollars to
India’s total economic output.

12. MEASURES TO ELIMINATE GENDER
DISCRIMINATION AT THE WORKPLACE
 • To shape and mould an equal hierarchical structure, it's important to
change mind-sets of individuals within organizations.
 • Mechanisms must be promoted to address patriarchal biases.
 • Policies must be established to abolish gender inequalities in the
workplace.
 • A free space for dialogue should be created where employees can speak
about
 discriminations they face while working in an organization.
 •Women at leadership.

13. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Women Empowerment refers to increase the social,
political & economic strength of the women in different
ways.
 Having decision making power of their own.
 Political participation.
 Awareness and exercise of their rights.
 Self decision regarding education, participation, mobility & economic
independency. “ The government of India declared 2001 as the year of women’s
empowerment(Swashakti).”

14. EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT
 Girl’s enrolment at the primary and secondary level has been improved after
independence. Year 1950-51 2004-05 % enrolment in primary 28.1 46.7 % enrolment
in secondary 61.1 44.4
 Government has started some schemes to foster the growth of female education.
 e.g.
 Mahila Samakhya Programme
 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Scheme
 National educational programme for girls at primary level

15. SOCIO-ECONOMICEMPOWERMENT
 There is a scheme known as Indira Awas Yojna through
which govt. gives money to women to make their home.
 In many govt. give money to girl at the time of their
 Govt. give loan to women to start their own business at
interest.
 In spite of all these schemes the social & economic status of
women is not improved at desired extent.

16. CONTD..
Political Empowerment
 There is 33.5% reservation for women in local government bodies.
This law has placed a million of women in elected positions to the
panchayat in the country. Govt. also encouraging the women to vote
in the various elections.
 Indira Gandhi former Indian prime minister is the world’s largest
serving women prime minister. In spite of all these steps taken by
govt. Still there are very few women in national level politics.

17. SELF HELP GROUP EMPOWERMENT
 Apart from government bodies many non governmental
bodies are also working for empowerment of women in various
aspects.
 Some of these areMahila Seva Samiti Nari Seva Sangha
Women Coordinating Council Satya Bharati Shakti-Shalini Nari
Raksha Samiti Maitri Shakti-Vahini Navjyoti
 These bodies are working to help women for different
problems and also protest for women’s right.