Written contracts to maternity benefit: Job protection for women is eroding

Young EY employee's death sparks debate about workplace culture and conditions

The death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old employee of Ernst & Young (EY), has started a debate about workplace culture and conditions, particularly for women, in the Indian labour market.

An analysis of data in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which studied regular salaried employees and was released earlier this week, points to worrying trends in work conditions for women in rural and urban India. Conditions are stark going by three key metrics: The percentage of regular wage or salaried women employees without written job contracts, those not eligible for paid leave, and those who do not have access to social security benefits.

The percentage of regular wage or salaried women employees without written contracts rose from 55.8 per cent in 2022-23 (July-June) to 57.3 per cent in 2023-24. Those not eligible for paid leave fell from 49.8 per cent in 2019-20 to 43.7 per cent in 2020-21 but increased to 45.9 per cent in 2023-24. Furthermore, the percentage of women workers without access to specified social security benefits rose from 56 per cent in 2019-20 to 58 per cent in 2023-24, marking decreased job security.

Men are slightly worse off than women in terms of the percentage of regular wage or salaried employees without written job contracts and those not eligible for paid leave. Women suffer much worse elsewhere: As many as 58 per cent of them do not get social security benefit like pensions, health care and maternity aid compared to 51.8 per cent of men.

An analysis of 10 states in terms of working conditions for women showed that Punjab did the worst: 48.6 per cent of women there did not have written job contracts and specified benefits in 2023-24. Andhra Pradesh's share was 47.3 per cent, while Delhi stood at 45.3 per cent. Chhattisgarh and Gujarat too recorded a significant decline in women’s working conditions.

Overall, data indicates employment conditions for women worsening in a majority of the 10 states.