The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Discrimination against women `taking different forms'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 26, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Discrimination against women `taking different forms'

By R. Sujatha

CHENNAI, JULY 25. Education has brought a new set of problems for Indian women. Those who work in the information technology industry or in call centres are stressed out though they are paid well.

There is a lack of sensitivity to women workers' needs. "Chairs in IT offices are designed with men in mind. Women's needs are never addressed," said Valli Alagappan, chairperson of the southern regional workshop on women, work and health.

Ms. Alagappan, who quoted from a presentation made by a representative at the one-day workshop, said "discrimination at the workplace continues. It only takes different forms." New industries resulted in `single women' syndrome, which until now was only in the international agenda.

The observations made by representatives from Karnataka and Kerala illustrate the difficult life women lead there. Women in Badaga community slog in the fields all day while men sit in groups and play cards.

In Kerala, high literacy rate had not resulted in high productivity. Women who got M.A. and M. Phil degrees dropped out of the scene. "Nobody knows what happens to them after marriage," said K.R. Rajanarayanan, who spoke on the impact of occupations on health and the need for awareness programmes.

The Chennai workshop was the third of its kind and was a precursor to the international congress on the subject to be held in Delhi next year. The conclusions and recommendations of workshops held in Dehradun and Kolkatta were not very different, Ms. Alagappan said.

At the end of the regional workshops "we must get interesting information about women."

Fate of Orissa women

Indira Koithara, chairperson of the international congress, who reviewed the Chennai workshop, recalled the fate of women in Orissa: "Young women in the 16 to 20 age group are lured by landlords who promise marriage. When they become pregnant they are abandoned. There are 4,000 such women in coastal Orissa. They are considered widows and cannot marry."

The participants in the workshops come from non-government agencies working with the mentally-challenged, farm labourers, the Dalits, deprived women and plantation workers.

The Delhi congress is to be organised by the Society for Working Life in association with the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Stree Shakti and Manana from November 27 to 30, 2005. Academics, researchers, practitioners, experts, representatives from government agencies will discuss and formulate an action plan for prioritised areas.

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