Gender Discrimination Accounts For 98 percent of India's Employment Gap: Report

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 15 September 2022

According to a recent Oxfam India analysis, gender discrimination is accountable for 98% of the employment gap between men and women in India.

The survey made clear that women in India face discrimination in the job market despite having the same educational background and work experience as males due to societal and corporate stereotypes.

According to the "India Discrimination Report 2022" by Oxfam India, discrimination accounts for 100% of the employment inequality that women experience in the labour market in rural areas and 98.6% in urban areas.

According to the survey, discrimination accounts for 95% of the pay discrepancy between male and female casual wage workers and 83.3% of the gender pay gap for self-employed males, who earn 2.5 times more than females.

The survey claims that 98% of the employment difference between men and women is caused by gender discrimination.

"Woman 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," it said.

The survey also stated that discrimination accounts for 93% of the salary discrepancy between men and women.

"Rural self-employed males earn twice of 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," it said.

Discrimination may account for up to 91.1% of the salary disparity between men and women.

The report's statistical technique, which has gained academic recognition, can now quantify the discrimination women experience in the workforce. According to the survey, discrimination accounts for 67% of the lower salaries for salaried women, and education and work experience account for 33%.

The government was urged by Oxfam India to actively implement effective steps to ensure all women's rights to equal protection at work and to equal pay. According to the report, the Indian government should provide incentives for women to enter the workforce, such as higher pay, upskilling opportunities, job reservations, and simple post-maternity return-to-work alternatives.

According to the report, if a man and woman start off on an equal basis, the woman will face discrimination in the workplace and fall behind in paid, unpaid, and self-employment positions, according to Oxfam India CEO Amitabh Behar.

The analysis concludes that discrimination, not merely a lack of access to education or job experience, is to blame for the gender and other socioeconomic category disparities in the labour market.

These conclusions are based on official data on labour and employment from 2004–2005 to 2019–2020.

The National Sample Survey (NSS) 61st round data on employment-unemployment (2004–2005), the Periodic Labour Force Survey in 2018–19 and 2019–20, and the All India Debt and Investment Survey by the government are all cited in the Oxfam India report as unit level data sources.