Educational, Social and Economic Status of Women in Textile Industry in India

Sivasubramanian K

doi:10.46303/repam.01.01.3

Abstract

Retailing is one of the important industry in India recorded for almost 10 percent of nation’s GDP. The lesser wage earning workers are vulnerable to aggravation and other discrimination at work place. In the informal textile retail shops, women have to pass through numerous problems as they have to manage with both sides of life, say work and family. Predominantly, such women are semi-literates, educated unemployed and financially deprived. It is revealed from the data that there are 58 percent of the women workers are between ages of 30 to 40 and there is no women worker above 45 years. It is clearly shows that the shop owners are not interested to recruit or retain the women workers above 45 years. The educational status of workers constitutes an average of secondary level schooling and they could able to read, write in the local language and understand English slightly. Almost 60 percent of the women workers are belonging to marginalized section of the society. In the present study, social and economic status of sample respondents are analyzed and found that they are poorly paid in terms of wages, and work under deprived and vulnerable working condition. It is revealed from the primary data that women workers are affected by many occupational health issues only after engaging in this work. Moreover, the women workers are sexually exploited and physically harassed.

Highlights

In the development picture of Indian economy, the retail industry plays a key function by contributing gross domestic product and employment opportunities to the poorer sections of the country
The aim of this study is to identify the social, economic and educational status of the women working in the informal textile retail stores in Chennai city in India
The education level of the respondents registered a minimum of basic literates and maximum of degree holders, likewise the other variables presented in the following table

Summary

Introduction

In the development picture of Indian economy, the retail industry plays a key function by contributing gross domestic product and employment opportunities to the poorer sections of the country. It attracts numerous educated unemployed to this field, due to non-availability jobs in formal sector and drop-outs on the part of the unemployment situation. The textile garment shops both in organized and unorganized sectors provide a large number of employment opportunities to the poor and migrant women workers especially educated unemployed and uneducated. The adopted employees are accommodated in various sections in the store both in front and back-end works according to their qualification and experience in the relevant field. Most of the workers in the garment retail stores are young and even under the age of fourteen years in the unorganized stores. The back-end women workers are deputed as warehouse associates to carry out the work such as inventory procedures, pasting of price stickers, garbage cleaning and helpers

Objectives

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Conclusion