A study conducted by Assocham, in an attempt to find the impact of night shifts on women and the opportunities for growth offered to them in various sectors, has indicated that only 28.9 per cent of the respondents surveyed felt insecure to work in night shifts. It is observed that despite the high rate of crime in metropolitan cities, few women felt insecure about working in night shifts.
The study found that Bangalore and Ludhiana were two cities that were perceived (44 and 45 per cent respectively) to be highly insecure for women to work in night shifts. In Bangalore, the Pratibha murder case is reported to have affected the situation adversely, while in Ludhiana, the gender discrimination could have played a major role, coupled with the orthodox attitude and rigid behaviour towards women, said the study.
Women in night shifts want the length of night shifts, including the time of travel, to be reduced to 7-8 hours, instead of the current practice of 10-11 hours. Mr Anil Agarwal, president, Assocham, said, "Favourable conditions of work for women in terms of security, monetary compensation and provision of fringe benefits are necessary for night shifts to be successful and socially acceptable."
The study found that mental harassment levels were high in Ludhiana (27%), followed by Kolkata (19%), Pune (17%) and Delhi (14%) and was relatively less in Mumbai (9%), Chennai (7%), Hyderabad (8%) and Bangalore (6%).
The responses of the employees from different sectors indicate that employees from textile and leather industry face maximum problems. Insecurity is found more in leather (45%) and textiles (34%) and less in BPOs (8%). It shows that BPO companies follow stringent safety norms. Hospital employees (87%) are most satisfied with their duration of night shift because it occurs only once or twice a week.
The study found that Bangalore and Ludhiana were two cities that were perceived (44 and 45 per cent respectively) to be highly insecure for women to work in night shifts. In Bangalore, the Pratibha murder case is reported to have affected the situation adversely, while in Ludhiana, the gender discrimination could have played a major role, coupled with the orthodox attitude and rigid behaviour towards women, said the study.
Women in night shifts want the length of night shifts, including the time of travel, to be reduced to 7-8 hours, instead of the current practice of 10-11 hours. Mr Anil Agarwal, president, Assocham, said, "Favourable conditions of work for women in terms of security, monetary compensation and provision of fringe benefits are necessary for night shifts to be successful and socially acceptable."
The study found that mental harassment levels were high in Ludhiana (27%), followed by Kolkata (19%), Pune (17%) and Delhi (14%) and was relatively less in Mumbai (9%), Chennai (7%), Hyderabad (8%) and Bangalore (6%).
The responses of the employees from different sectors indicate that employees from textile and leather industry face maximum problems. Insecurity is found more in leather (45%) and textiles (34%) and less in BPOs (8%). It shows that BPO companies follow stringent safety norms. Hospital employees (87%) are most satisfied with their duration of night shift because it occurs only once or twice a week.