Hiding in Plain Sight? Intersectionality of Female Labor Force Continues Unbridled

Amna (a pseudonym) is engrossed in her work – plying the machine with skill and impeccability. When called her name, she takes a few seconds to get familiar with the surroundings before putting a smile on her face and turning to answer me. It is 10:30 am and she needs to get back to work soon so she can meet her daily target. Or else, either it will show on her pay-slip in the form of deduction or, in the worst case scenario, she will get fired. Despite working for several years, she has not received the permanent status yet.

“Factory awards the new scan code and gets some forms signed when someone becomes permanent. However, several labors are rejected the permanent status on the basis of the performance or frequent leaves. While actually, the factory avoids giving the resultant benefits by refusing the status. The threat of getting fires is always looming and makes several workers put up with whatever gets thrown in their way. Being a woman increases our vulnerability, as opportunities are already scanty for us.”

This is the story of every other woman working in the industrial sector. Women make 49 percent of Pakistan’s population and yet, they constitute only 24 percent of the labor force. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), the labor participation rate for Pakistani men is over three times higher than the rate of women participation.

The country’s gender gap in labor participation is one of the world’s highest. It matches only with the Arab states and North African countries. While the participation rate of women is already dismal, the state of affairs of women participating in the economic activity does not scream sunshine and rainbows either.

The intersectionality of women worker rights is evident in the industrial sector of Pakistan. The exploitation of women in the workspace is rampant, but the lower staff and the female factory factories are receiving the most of it.

Majority of the women labor force is engaged in the informal sector where there is no legal protection or proper incentives for that matter are available. In factories, most of the female workers are home-based or daily wage workers.

Although policies for domestic and home-based workers are in place in Sindh and Punjab, there is no legislation to enforce these policies. Among the overall extreme discrimination of labor prevalent in the factories, the female workers are doubly exploited.

“The fact that we usually come out of our homes only when we are in dire need of money makes them (administration) more confident that we will endure everything. Although our male colleagues go through the same, we have to face abuse, insult, and taunts along with the work pressure. Moreover, the odds of a male worker getting fired over the petty issue are rare as compared to women in the same scenario,” says Amna.

They face discrimination from both inside and outside the workplace. There is practically no haven for them in this regard. Given the conservative dynamic of Pakistani society, women who go out for work or even those who earn money while staying at home are stereotyped.

Everything from taunts on their characters, incompetency, and not doing enough is hurled at them by society and even by their own families. Apart from that, several other issues are making the lives of the women labor much harder, discouraging others to become an active part of the country’s economy.

Unbelievably Low Wages

The jobs available for women are low paid. According to the Asian Development Bank, the difference is palpable and persistent. Occupational segregation of women has been combined with low demand for female workers, making women to agree upon whatever they are offered.

“The home-based workers are offered Rs.20 for a trouser which is sold at least for Rs.600-800 in the market. We cannot negotiate the rate, as we are told constantly that there are many people out there who would be more than willing to take the work,” says Amna.

Another full-time worker tells that their per-day wage is Rs.385 while they have to work for more than nine hours every day. If their daily target is not met, they do not receive the full amount. However, even these conditions are better than many other factories.

According to a recent report by Human Rights Watch, the majority of the home-based female workers are being paid less than Rs.5 for stitching a single garment. That is not even close to the standard hourly pay rate. The payment ranges from Rs.2 to Rs.4 per piece while one piece takes hours of work to complete.

The report further pointed out that the workers are unable to bargain because of the fear that the contractor would not give them the order next time. Moreover, Pakistan ranked 143rd out of 144 countries in the gender inequality index as per the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2016.

The average salary for female workers is Rs. 5188 per month while for their male counterparts, it is Rs. 7997 per month.

“The male workers are paid more because they are more skilled and experienced and have families to feed. In fact, they have to work for even longer hours than us, so I guess it’s a fair bargain,” says Amna.

Many women are not even aware of their rights and just believe in what they are told.

Irregular Hiring Practices

In most of the factories, there is no written contract between the organization and the labor.

“We were asked to fill sign a few forms in which rules of employment were written. I have been working for 15 years and have not signed anything else yet. Every worker has a card on which his/her scan code is written. Against that scan code, every detail of the worker is stored. The permanent and non-permanent workers have different cards,” a woman told.

The only proof of employment is a card. The sword of getting fired keep dangling over the workers. The factory management marks check-ins and checkouts of the workers by itself so that it appears to be going by the book.

These revelations have been made by the Human Rights Watch report mentioned earlier. Even those who are hired on contracts are done so to manipulate. Factories hire contract workers to bypass the government regulations on mandatory minimum wages and health and pension benefits.

These workers get paid in cash and without any record or registration with the government department. Above all, even these contracts are not in a written form and get renewed after a few months.

Forced Overtime

The workers are forced to work overtime without proper compensation. While this discrimination goes unchecked, the workers are not allowed to raise voice for their own rights. Only in May 2017, nationwide protests by workers of Khaadi made the headlines, highlighting the serious and widely prevalent issues in Pakistan’s industrial factors.

However, no good came out of these protests. After a few days’ hullabaloos, the issue evaporated into thin air. The protests broke out when Khaadi fired 32 workers who were demanding their rights under the law. The protests concluded when enterprise struck a deal with the union leaders.

“Whenever a shipment is stuck, we are asked to stay after the factory hours. Sometimes, we are asked to come to the factory earlier than the stipulated time to complete the work. Many a time, we have been called on Sundays as well when a shipment is scheduled to load on Monday,” a worker shared.

Women workers are exploited even more in this scenario, as they are easy to manipulate. The labor workers usually belong to the lower-middle class and mostly seek work because of some inevitable need. The employers are well cognizant of the vulnerability of these women.

“When we reach home, we have to look after the family that has been waiting for us the whole day. I have a  four-year-old daughter and a ten-year-old son. When I come home, they come running towards me. My husband comes an hour later than me. I have to cook a meal quickly, as he gets angry when the dinner is late,” a woman told.

After completing the soul-sucking labor, they return home where a whole set of domestic chores awaits them. They work around the clock without realizing which raises many health issues including psychological ones.

Job Uncertainty

Job uncertainty is a sine qua non of the country’s industrial sector. It becomes even graver when it comes to female workers. First, the employers are reluctant to hire women due to their own biases or assuming that they may not continue to work after marriage or having a child.

Second, the majority of women are shown the door when they get married or become pregnant. Instead of giving them the leave, the employers tell them to leave because apparently, married women or those with the child are not viable for the company.

“When I got married, I left the factory on my choice. However, when I was pregnant, my supervisor told me that I could not get any leave and would be let go. After my daughter was born, it became difficult for my husband to make ends meet alone. I came back to the factory and since then, I have been working here,” a worker told.

Lack of Medical Leave and Breaks

The factory management denies breaks to the workers, citing it impacts productivity. Workers are even refused breaks to use toilets or even leave their seats. They are not allowed any sick leave, and when a worker comes across any disease, she either gets fired or is asked to continue working in the same condition.

“While the permanent workers are told their benefits include sick leaves as well, they are not usually allowed to take one. I have seen many workers getting fired over this; it is a clear message to other workers. Many workers in my line are suffering from lungs disease or even tuberculosis, but they do not even ask for leave,” tells a worker.  

Harassment: Both inside and outside the workplace

Female workers in factories get exposed to verbal abuse on a daily basis, be it from their bosses, coworkers, or even outsiders. As our society puts a big question mark on the character of working women, men consider them their rightful toy.

From facing street harassment to workplace abuse, these women are forced to take it all. Because if they speak up, people will blame them for getting harassed, as victim blaming is a common practice in Pakistani society.

“When I was new here, I would get upset when my supervisor would shout at me or would require unnecessary visits to his room. But now, I have grown a thick skin and console other workers regarding this as well,” says a woman who has been working for eight years in the factory.

“The supervisor acts as he owns the place and the workers too. He is known for touching women and not even a single voice is raised on this. Many girls have left the job because of him. Several male colleagues have also got emboldened by this and they harass every new girl that comes in the factory. But not everyone can afford to leave their job, so we are here enduring all this,” says a worker who is in the factory for two years.

“There are peepholes in the washroom walls that are filled with inappropriate comments written on them. We cannot even move alone in the corridors as men out there catcall and jeer at us,” says another worker.

Lack of Accessible Transport and Child Care

Mobility is one of the major issues faced by women labors in Pakistan. Given their limited income, it is difficult for them to afford even public transport. Many workers depend upon factory transport which makes it easier for employers to force them to work late. The transport charges are deducted from their salaries or daily wages.

As per the statistics, married women constitute 65.7 percent of the total working women workforce and yet, the majority of the workplaces (factories) do not accommodate or provide necessary facilities to them. Especially for the labor mothers—given they are still hired— there is no proper facility of childcare at their workplace. They are expected to work the entire shift and even extra hours while leaving their child at home.

“I leave my children with their grandmother as there is no other place they could live without me. Sometimes, there arises a lot of trouble as my mother-in-law cannot handle the toddler. She just flips out whenever I have to do overtime, which I am told of at the very last moment. ”

Also, if they request relaxation in the working conditions, the employers shrug them off as being unprofessional or using women card. However, the same requests when made by the male workers are not only well received but also met in most of the cases.

Our government needs to alter the prevailing labor law to facilitate labor women and also to give men in labor their due rights. Over the past few years, Pakistan has seen an increase in the women labor force which is a promising factor for the economy. In order to encourage more women to partake in the economic activity, the authorities need to bring more incentives for female workers.