Should women be encouraged to work in night shifts?

In Favor :-

• Instead of discouraging women from working in night shifts, safety measures should be improved.
• It will provide equal opportunities to men and women.
• Gender gap will be reduced.
• When more women work in night shifts, no woman will be alone at office.
• Women will be able able to keep their position in this competitive world.
• It will create more employment opportunities.

Against :-

• We should act according to present times. We should not ignore the fact that there are criminals out there and we need to protect ourselves.
• Though big companies can arrange cabs to drop women employees at their home, small scale industries and companies may not be able to do so. This will be risky for women employees.
• Women who work in night shifts have a 48% increased risk of developing breast cancer. Night shifts also increases the risk of developing several health problems.

Facts :-

• In Dec 2016, Karnataka government lifted restrictions on allowing women to work in night shifts in all sectors. It issued guidelines to employers to ensure safety of women employees.
• Factories Act 1948 banned working of women in night shifts by stating that no women shall be required or allowed to work in any factory except between the hours of 6 AM and 7 PM.
• Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra too amended factories act 1948 to allow women to work in night shifts.

How it started :-

• The demand for prohibition of women workforce at night was first raised by Europe.
• In 1919, International Labour Organization (ILO) decided to prohibit women employees expect those who are holding higher positions from taking night shifts.
• This directive of ILO was withdrawn in 1991.

Conclusion :-

If women are discouraged from taking up work in night shifts, there will be no positive effect on society. If more and more women work in night shifts, safety for women will be increased. The real solution is not stopping women from working in night shifts, rather changing the mindset of people, increasing safety measures and strengthening law and order will serve the purpose.

Your Turn…

Do you think women should be supported and encouraged to work in night shifts? Express your thoughts in the comment section below.

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