| Summary: | Background
Majority of bidi manufacturing in
India is in the unorganised sector which makes its regulation and taxation
difficult. Bidi industry is highly labour-intensive and there is high
home-based employment of women and children as bidi workers. Bidi workers are
known to get inadequate social security and welfare benefits,
and are paid low wages. This study highlights gender inequalities in employment
and wages earned in the bidi industry, not previously studied.
Methods
Three data sources were used: 1) Annual
Survey of Industries - for organized sector 2) National Sample Survey (NSS)
Unorganized Manufacturing Enterprises Survey (2000-01; 2005-06; 2010-11) and 3)
NSS Employment and Unemployment Survey (2011-12). Share of wages, nature and
type of employment in organised and unorganised sectors were studied.
Results
In the organised
as well as unorganised sector, the number of female workers was higher than
that of male workers. Female workers made up 82.8% of
the total unorganised sector bidi manufacturing employment in 2010-11. In 2000-01, average per capita wage of a bidi worker
in organised sector was only 25% that of average per capita wage observed in
the entire manufacturing sector. This figure declined to 20% in 2005-06 and 17%
in 2010-11. In 2000-01, female workers earned INR 7,737.7 less per year than
males, on average; in 2005-06, the wage disparity between male and female
workers was lower at INR 6,327.8. In 2010-11 however, the wage disparity
increased with male workers earning INR 6,610.7 more
on average. Contractual workers were paid least wages and managerial workers were
paid higher vs. those directly employed.
Conclusions
Although more females are employed in
organised as well as unorganised bidi manufacturing sectors vs. males, the
average annual wages of female workers are much lower than those of male
workers, increasing inequalities. The system of crontractualisation further exacerbates inequity.
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