BENGALURU: According to a proposal made by the Karnataka government, women should be spared of night shifts in companies. Made by a committee of legislators, the proposal did not go down well with women employees and activists who called it regressive. Critics also pointed out that the new law allowing 26 weeks of maternity leave for women can work as a disincentive.
Committee chairman NA Haris claimed that women have a lot on their plate as they have to take care of the house and are more involved in child care. "A woman has a greater social responsibility than everyone else. She is going to groom the next generation and has maternal responsibilities. If a woman is working in the night, it could result in the neglect of the child as the mother and the child can't meet," he said. "It is easy to talk, but we have to understand that the social responsibility of each member of the family relies more on the woman."
Citing women's safety as another concern during night shifts, Haris said, "As men, we have more responsibility towards the safety of women. This is not an issue of old-fashioned, new fashion." However, the proposal has simply irked women, if nothing else. "Tomorrow they will tell a woman to stay at home and bear children. It is none of their business. It shows a feudalistic, paternalistic mindset which is very sad in this modern era," said entrepreneur Mohandas Pai. He said 'safety' was the government's responsibility. The legislators' job is to make sure that the life and liberty of every citizen is protected, he said.
Pai said there are over 500,000 female employees among the 1500,000 IT workers in Bengaluru, and such a bizarre proposal may force employers to think twice before hiring women. "Women have fought their way up and penetrated the job market. Now if you put all these restrictions, employers will be hesitant to hire a woman."
