Indian gov investigating claims Foxconn won't hire married women
(2024/06/27)
- Reference: 1719465374
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2024/06/27/foxconn_hiring_married_women/
- Source link:
India's Ministry of Labor and Employment has ordered an investigation of Foxconn – the contract manufacturer supplier also known as Hon Hai Precision and one of Apple’s main suppliers – after reports emerged alleging the company will not hire married women to work at its main iPhone assembly plant on the subcontinent.
The probe is in the form of a request for a "detailed report" from the Labor Department of the state government in Tamil Nadu. Foxconn's largest Indian facility is in Sriperumbudur, a town in Tamil Nadu.
"Section 5 of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 clearly stipulates that no discrimination will be made while recruiting men and women workers," [1]reasoned the ministry on Wednesday. "As the State Government is the appropriate authority for the enforcement and administration of the provisions of this Act, hence the report has been sought from the State Government."
[2]
A [3]Reuters report published the day before the Ministry’s move alleged that Foxconn systemically excluded the employment of married women at the Sriperumbudur plant.
[4]
[5]
The reported justification for the policy was that married women experience family duties, pregnancy and absenteeism. A secondary justification for their exclusion was that the customary ornaments worn by married women in India – like toe rings and necklaces – aren't typically removed and present safety hazards in the manufacturing environment.
[6]Julian Assange pleads guilty, leaves courtroom a free man
[7]Humanity's satellite habit could end up choking Earth's ozone layer
[8]Airbn-bye: Barcelona bans short-term apartment rentals for tourists
[9]British Airways blames T5 luggage chaos on fault 'outside of our control'
[10]And that's 3 recalls for Tesla Cybertruck in as many months
Foxconn outsources hiring at the plant to third-party vendors. Those vendors were allegedly briefed by executives to skip over the cohort, and freely communicated the unwed requirement to candidates in job adverts, pamphlets and WhatsApp chats.
The ban, however, isn't absolute. It is relaxed during high-production periods to manage labor shortages, and agencies reportedly indicated they would help women conceal their marital status – particularly if their state ID card hasn’t been updated to indicate their nuptials. Foxconn denied the discriminatory policy to Reuters, as did Apple.
The Apple supplier said in 2022 it took corrective action against four agencies that were posting ads "that did not meet [company] standards."
[11]
The Register has asked Foxconn for additional comment and will report back should a substantial reply materialize.
Few Indian women work outside the home.
According to [12]The World Bank , as of 2022 fewer than one in four Indian women work do so. Also in 2022, India's [13]National Family Health Survey found that 32 percent of married women in India were employed – and 15 percent of the women working outside the home were not paid.
[14]
The survey also showed that hiring managers routinely consider marital status when making job offer decisions, even though it is [15]well documented that economies benefit when both genders participate in the paid workforce and suffer when they do not.
India’s government is keen to remove impediments that prevent the nation from fulfilling its goal of becoming a major manufacturing hub – meaning it may have to overcome societal norms that could hurt the industry.
In line with its manufacturing goal, the country is [16]claimed to be on track to produce a quarter of the world's iPhones by 2028. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2028862
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/foxconn-apple-india-women/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/26/assange_pleads_guilty_sentenced_freed/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/25/satellite_reentry_ozone/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/25/airbnb_barcelona_ban/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/26/british_airways_t5_luggage/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/25/tesla_cybertruck_recalled_again/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS?locations=IN
[13] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nhfs-survey-shows-marginal-increase-in-women-employment/article65391224.ece#
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2018/11/28/blog-economic-gains-from-gender-inclusion-even-greater-than-you-thought
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/apple_iphones_india/
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The probe is in the form of a request for a "detailed report" from the Labor Department of the state government in Tamil Nadu. Foxconn's largest Indian facility is in Sriperumbudur, a town in Tamil Nadu.
"Section 5 of the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976 clearly stipulates that no discrimination will be made while recruiting men and women workers," [1]reasoned the ministry on Wednesday. "As the State Government is the appropriate authority for the enforcement and administration of the provisions of this Act, hence the report has been sought from the State Government."
[2]
A [3]Reuters report published the day before the Ministry’s move alleged that Foxconn systemically excluded the employment of married women at the Sriperumbudur plant.
[4]
[5]
The reported justification for the policy was that married women experience family duties, pregnancy and absenteeism. A secondary justification for their exclusion was that the customary ornaments worn by married women in India – like toe rings and necklaces – aren't typically removed and present safety hazards in the manufacturing environment.
[6]Julian Assange pleads guilty, leaves courtroom a free man
[7]Humanity's satellite habit could end up choking Earth's ozone layer
[8]Airbn-bye: Barcelona bans short-term apartment rentals for tourists
[9]British Airways blames T5 luggage chaos on fault 'outside of our control'
[10]And that's 3 recalls for Tesla Cybertruck in as many months
Foxconn outsources hiring at the plant to third-party vendors. Those vendors were allegedly briefed by executives to skip over the cohort, and freely communicated the unwed requirement to candidates in job adverts, pamphlets and WhatsApp chats.
The ban, however, isn't absolute. It is relaxed during high-production periods to manage labor shortages, and agencies reportedly indicated they would help women conceal their marital status – particularly if their state ID card hasn’t been updated to indicate their nuptials. Foxconn denied the discriminatory policy to Reuters, as did Apple.
The Apple supplier said in 2022 it took corrective action against four agencies that were posting ads "that did not meet [company] standards."
[11]
The Register has asked Foxconn for additional comment and will report back should a substantial reply materialize.
Few Indian women work outside the home.
According to [12]The World Bank , as of 2022 fewer than one in four Indian women work do so. Also in 2022, India's [13]National Family Health Survey found that 32 percent of married women in India were employed – and 15 percent of the women working outside the home were not paid.
[14]
The survey also showed that hiring managers routinely consider marital status when making job offer decisions, even though it is [15]well documented that economies benefit when both genders participate in the paid workforce and suffer when they do not.
India’s government is keen to remove impediments that prevent the nation from fulfilling its goal of becoming a major manufacturing hub – meaning it may have to overcome societal norms that could hurt the industry.
In line with its manufacturing goal, the country is [16]claimed to be on track to produce a quarter of the world's iPhones by 2028. ®
Get our [17]Tech Resources
[1] https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2028862
[2] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[3] https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/foxconn-apple-india-women/
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/26/assange_pleads_guilty_sentenced_freed/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/25/satellite_reentry_ozone/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/25/airbnb_barcelona_ban/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/26/british_airways_t5_luggage/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2024/06/25/tesla_cybertruck_recalled_again/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS?locations=IN
[13] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/nhfs-survey-shows-marginal-increase-in-women-employment/article65391224.ece#
[14] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/legal&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33Zn04SnHyuUTD65YrH3I4lwAAAcI&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[15] https://www.imf.org/en/Blogs/Articles/2018/11/28/blog-economic-gains-from-gender-inclusion-even-greater-than-you-thought
[16] https://www.theregister.com/2024/05/16/apple_iphones_india/
[17] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Non-problem Problems
Anonymous Coward
The best man for a job is a woman...
Re: Non-problem Problems
Anonymous Coward
Would that be a woman with, or without, a penis? :-)
Re: Non-problem Problems
ArrZarr
ODFO
Anonymous Coward
Discrimination of this kind is not going to help the assumption common in India that men make money and women cost money — witness to that the large sums of money that the family of the bride is supposed to give to the family of the groom, proportional to his income, to compensate them for having to feed her.
Though this tradition is interestingly at odds with market forces, considering there is a large gender imbalance in the country and women are scarce. Also worth noting that the gender gap in education is practically filled, though the gender gap at work is still large.
Not just Foxconn
tony72
I watched a video a while back, I think it was on the Economics Explained YouTube channel (I think it's the one titled "India Will Not Be The Next China") that said that low labour force participation rates, primarily due to women not working, was the biggest impediment to India's economic development. There's a range of cultural and social factors leading to women, particularly after marriage, being excluded from the workforce, and it's not getting any better at the moment.
Non-problem Problems
* Toe rings: who cares? They won't be an issue if their workers are wearing proper safety boots (or completely-enclosed shoes, depending on what's appropriate).
* Necklaces: workers, take 'em off (and finger rings, watches, etc.) before entering the shop/warehouse areas. Where I work (1st world location/company) repeated safety policy violations like that gets the employee progressively-severe penalties, up to and including being sacked.
* Women experience pregnancy: yes, they do. Other parts of the world have learned to deal with that in a fair and reasonable way; perhaps this division of Foxconn ought to do that, as well.
* Women experience "family duties": yes, and so do men. I'm not sure what they're throwing into the bag with this particular phrase.
* Women experience absenteeism: no more, as far as I've seen, than do men.
This all appears to be a "We'll outsource the task so we also can, hopefully, outsource the blame" game.