Two crore Indians in more than 100 countries are contributing to the development of the country they are in. India government is boasting of fabulous growth and it says if this trend continues India would soon overtake countries like Japan and emerge as a strong super power. All these are fine. But the crucial question is this development is for whom? Is it inclusive in nature? Two and half decades of implementation of neoliberal policies have increased inequalities to a great extent.


CII Luxury Report shows that market for luxury car has expanded and it was valued at 30 billion dollars in 2015. Rollsroyce car[2.6.to 5 crores] market is expanding says its India manager. Even in Tier II cities, sale of Luxury cars like Benz has gone up many times. Private jets are flying and one can see private yachts docked in Mumbai coast. In big cities, a dinner table for 4 people [50,000 Rs.] is booked in advance. Out of 130 crore people in India, 100 dollar billionaires own 1/ 4 of India s GDP. This is Shining India that has emerged as result of neoliberal policies.


On the other hand, there is Suffering India. UN report on Multi Dimensional Poverty Index shows that India has fared poorly and poverty exists in various forms. The list of countries surveyed to calculate the Global Hunger Index shows that India is in the 67th place. {Sri Lanka 37th, Nepal56th..} Poverty estimates are ridiculous. 49% of kids suffer from malnutrition. 42% of kids are underweight {In Pakisthan only 5% kids underweight] 21 lakh children die every year due to avoidable diseases[WHO report], Hardly 20% of youth go to colleges. India does not find a place in the top 200 Universities in the world. In the top 400 IISC, and IIT find a place. Let us see the impact sector wise.


Agriculture:


In1991, the Govt. of India introduced a new agricultural policy based on export led agricultural growth. This led to two major changes namely, changes in the cropping pattern and changes in the land use pattern. Our field study shows that there was a shift from paddy to commercial crops in delta areas leading to loss of employment for women. {from paddy to gherkins, to other non-food crops which require less labour] Women do not have the right to land and other resources. Entry of MNCs [contract farming and loss of jobs and low wages] in a big way into this sector has resulted in loss of livelihood for rural people in general and women in particular. When a woman agriculturist commits suicide it does not even get entered into the crime register because she doesn t have the patta in her name. Without patta it is not easy for a woman to access credit and other inputs to pursue agricultural operations.


Industries


The picture is not rosy in the industrial sector. Even those industries like the garment ,hosiery, for example, where women are employed in large scale, the trend is not encouraging. Female Participation Rate [FPR] is an indication of women s status in a society. We find an increasing FPR in the low paid jobs. Tom Ashbrook in his The Rise of Wives, points out that


non-working women s contribution to total GDP is 35%. [Women s work is invisible and unaccountable]. ILO s definition [2014] has shown a clear shift in the definition of unpaid work. unpaid care work is included in the definition of Own use production work and therefore, unpaid work is considered a form of work. ILO further points out that in developing nations like India, women spend on an average 7 hours a day of unpaid work. It says Women in Asia experience excessive work burden. FAO report says women in the Himalayan region work extremely hard. In one hectare of land, in one year, a man puts in 1212 hrs, a woman 3485 hrs, a pair of bullocks 1064 hrs. ILO 2016 Women and Work Trends shows a gender gap not only in participation rates but also in wage rates. UN Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women along with ILO report show that young women are less likely to enter the labour market due to less access to technical education, soft skills etc. As a result, they end up in low paid jobs which are precarious and insecure. There is a significant rise in the number of women working as housemaids and caregivers. Many women prefer part-time jobs due to lack of support services at home.


Service sector


Since 1995, women s employment in the service sector has gone up. Though it is a positive move, there are many problems associated with it such as night shifts in BPOs, no prescribed hours of work, frequent travelling constant urge to perform or perish and so on.


Wages As far as wages are concerned , ILO has clearly pointed out


that, gender wage gaps are narrowing in a number of countries. However, it still persists. Women still receive 70-75% of men s wages. Motherhood wage gaps exists. It is true of many sectors. Marriage and child birth are never inhibitory factors for men. But, for women they affect their employment and wages. Women are less covered by protective legislations and social security net as they are mostly seen employed in the unorganised sector. Discrimination in providing responsibility, promotion, training etc., continues unabated.


Business


Are women effective as entrepreneurs? ILO study of 83 nations [2014] show that globally women own over 1/3 formal businesses. However most of them are micro and small scale enterprises .ILO has also estimated that 50 % of women s productive potential are under utilised. Despite education and necessary skills, not many women come forward to be entrepreneurs,World Bank study [2015]covering 155 countries, points out that women face at least one barriers such as: travelling outside home, signing a contract, having ownership rights over property, open bank account, register business, obtain licence/ permits, etc. Lengthy bureaucratic formalisation procedures are required and also more time commitment leading to work- family conflicts. and forcing women to take up jobs that would minimise such conflicts.


sIPnHF \yqkv Unkw_¿ 2016 43


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