Indian Manufacturing Sector

In the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, 43% of the nation’s female workforce is employed in the manufacturing sector, as revealed by the Indian Labour Ministry’s Annual Survey of Industry (2019-20). Palanivel Thiagarajan, the Minister for IT and Digital Services in Tamil Nadu, emphasized the need to incentivize girls’ education and employment rather than focusing on poverty or population.

Thiagarajan highlighted women-centric initiatives in Tamil Nadu, including the extension of maternity leave for government jobs to a year, free bus services for women, and free breakfast in government-run schools. He attributed the significant reduction in female infanticide cases to the state’s self-respect marriages initiative, which alleviated the financial burden associated with high marriage expenses for families with girl children.

Economic independence has become a priority for women in Tamil Nadu over marriage, according to the minister. Citing a study by BlackRock, Thiagarajan noted that organizations with more diverse workforces outperformed those with less gender-balanced teams.

Tamil Nadu’s efforts to empower women economically and socially, coupled with a focus on diversity and inclusion, showcase a comprehensive approach to address gender-related challenges in the workforce.

_{Repurposed article originally published in WION}