Women In Manufacturing Industry

“Women Vs Men in Manufacturing Sector”

Shamily Jaggi

Assistant Professor-Lovely Professional University

Abstract: India today is at the cusp of a paradigm change in its growth and its position in the world. Its rapid development in all fields has been faster than anywhere else in the world and it is emerged as a global power for its skilled workforce including both men and women. In today’s time women are not only competing but also matching their steps with men in many fields. Though, women have proved their mettle, but their presence in manufacturing sector seems to be negligent or on decline. Indian manufacturing sector is predominantly employs majority of the males. . It is also seen that there are a less number of women who are currently

Although the demand for manufacturing tends to fluctuate with the ups and downs of the economy, but this sector is characterized by regular periods of recovery following any downturns. Moreover, manufacturing has become highly efficient over the last century, with the ability to maximize both the productivity of the workers and machines to maximize profits.

4.2 Weaknesses: Since the manufacturing industry is a mature industry, there are full possibilities of having a severe competition and little room for growth within. Manufacturing can be a cash cow for those who are already in it but may be unattractive to new entrants. Also, as the manufacturing industry is built on the production of not only the major industrial products but also non-essential goods such as spares, accessories etc, thus any severe downturn in the economy can have a crippling effect on it. The industry is also having its inherent deficiencies such as infrastructure inefficiencies, shortage of skilled labour, high transaction cost, procedural delays, lack of awareness of global technologies & trends in Manufacturing IT etc. which are eroding away the competitive advantage of the manufacturing sector in India. It is also observed that the productivity of the Indian manufacturing industry is approximately 1/5th of the productivity

Though, women have proved their mettle, but their presence in manufacturing sector seems to be negligent or on decline. They are neither welcomed nor entertained to work in any sector and as far as manufacturing sector is concerned, the opportunities available to women are minimal. From the 1920s and 30s and up till 90s, the formal manufacturing sector has continued to eliminate women from their workforce. This sector does not highlight any prominent female achievers as the entire workforce, and reports comprises mostly of males. Dreze and Sen (1995), Dunlop and Velkoff (1999), Nihila (1999) stated that although the cultural restrictions, which women faces are changing but women are not still as free as men to participate in the formal economy. “Women may not be as welcome” in manufacturing isn’t only about perception, but it is found globally in a recent report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) that women are paid about 18 percent less than men doing the same manufacturing work on average [9] and this is the fourth largest gender pay gap of any industry. Due to lack of sufficient encouragement or prominent names, the demand to pursue a career in this field is lukewarm. According to UNIDO Report, share of women in the total employment in the Indian manufacturing sector remained stagnant at 10.9