The status of women empowerment in the tea gardens of Assam

In the overall economic activities of India, women workers constitute about one-fifth of the total work force, out of which only six per cent are employed in the organized sector. Rest of the women workers are engaged in unorganized sector. In spite of the mandatory legislative protective provisions, the extent of their exploitation exists not only in unorganized sectors but in the organized sectors also. There are still cases where women workers are deprived of the benefits and amenities like equal remuneration vis-à-vis their male counterparts, maternity benefits, proper child care services, etc. Several factors are responsible for their plight like indifferent attitude of the employers towards women workers, their weak bargaining power and in many cases the women workers themselves being unaware about their rights. This is worst felt in case of female tea garden workers. Although the Government is seized of the situation, yet it continues to remain a problem area due to non-availability of reliable statistical data and other information pertaining to working, living and socio-economic conditions of women workers. This paper attempts to highlight the status of women empowerment in the tea gardens of Assam and to find out remedies for their problems.