WORKPLACE
A workplace is the
location at which an employs provides work for an employer .The work place is
located in a variety of settings including offices, manufacturing facilities of
factories, stores, farms, out-of-doors, and in any location where work is
performed.
Capability
Women used to be much more "quiet and
passive" in the workplace due to the relatively small number of female employees
in comparison to males. Women today, on the other hand, have begun assuming
their positions by using all their God given powers of intelligence and
organization.
Misconception
It is a common
misconception that many professional females got into positions of power by
utilizing their flirting skills, and their
sexuality to their advantage. Now although some women in certain circumstances
have used "their assets" to get what they want, the majority of women
have worked hard and stared adversity straight in the face to achieve their
desired success.
Working
Women of Pakistan
It is hard to believe that even in the 21st Century, working
women in Pakistan are being blatantly exploited by their employers and
deprived of basic labor rights. Women workers in the private sector earn 40%
less in wages compared to their male co-workers and work up to 12 to 16 hours
a day without any breaks.
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Nearly 3 million women are also employed as domestic
Servants and on average receive a wage of
merely $30 US per month.
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Many of these women are raped and sexually
abused by their employers and are then
denied justice by
a corrupt and male-dominated justice system.
The lack of legal protections and the
failure to enforce the limited rights available to women are especially
concerning because of the growing number of women entering the Pakistani
workforce. This is especially the case for rural Pakistan, an area where
nearly 73% of the women are employed but where the mistreatment of women is
prevalent and often veiled by using religious and cultural justifications.
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WOMEN AT WORKPLACE
It's extremely obvious
that women have come a long way as successful professionals.
Life in the workplace has
become much more diversified as an increased number of women have made their
presence felt in many industries and professions. The female task force has
expanded with exponential strength, and thus has its dire importance in the
professional world.
Introduction
The 1948 Universal
Declaration of Human Rights recognizes the right of all people to just and
favorable conditions of work.
Unfortunately, work-related accidents and diseases continue to be a
serious problem in both industrialized and developing countries. The ILO estimates that 250 million workplace
accidents take place every year, with at least 335,000 fatalities. Further avoidable suffering is caused by 160
million cases of occupational diseases, and by an even higher number of threats to workers’ physical and mental well-being. Taking accidents and diseases together, the
global estimate of work-related deaths amount to 1.1 million per year, and even
this figure is considered to be a gross underestimate. The economic losses are enormous and, in
terms of shattered families and communities, the damage is incalculable
Although figures are not
available for the gender breakdown of the above stated statistics, it is safe
to assume that many women workers continue to suffer the worst abuses due to
stress, manual handling, repetitive strain injuries as well as violence and
sexual harassment at work. The situation
is even more worrisome in this are of globalisation, when companies and
countries often start cutting costs such as health and safety, and women often
pay the greatest price.
Background
Participation of women in formal employment
has increased quite significantly in addition to their traditional smallholder
farming and informal sector employment activities. The majority in the female
labour force are both mothers and housewives, hence they carry a heavy burden
with serious repercussions on their health.
Many of these women are in the lower echelons
of their employment ranks, and consequently not in a position to influence
policy decisions aimed at promoting their welfare. In addition, their numerical inferiority at
work results in the neglect of the special health and safety needs of women.
ILO statistics indicate that in 1950 women
accounted for 31.3 per cent of the world labour force; in 1975 they accounted
for 35.0 per cent and in the year 2000 they are expected to account for about
44.5 per cent. The world total of
economically active women now numbers 828 million and at least another 10 to 20
per cent of the world’s women are economically productive but not counted as
part of the labour force because of inadequate measurement system. The reasons for this growing number of
working women lies not only in the fact that women want remunerable job in
order to support themselves and their families, but also that women all over
the world want and indeed are beginning to demand active participation in every
aspect of economic life. This trend has
brought them a new sense of identity and a much valued network of relationships
beyond the domestic field. The benefits
include an improved standard of living and greater financial independence. Unfortunately, despite their increased number
in the labor force, far less is known about women’s occupational health than
about men’s
Specific health problems and need surround
women at work, especially in occupations where female employment is high, such
as agriculture (where women produce 60-80 per cent of the supply basic
foodstuff in Sub-Saharan Africa), food and textile industries and in service
sectors. Workers (both men and women) at
these workplaces are exposed to hazards including noise, pesticides in the
course of formulation and use and various chemicals which may have deleterious
effects on their health, affecting fertility and pregnancy out-comes in women.
Cosmetologists (beauticians and hairdressers)
tend to be mostly women. There are too
numerous reactive chemicals that may irritate and/or sensitize the skin and
mucous membranes. Studies indicate an
increased risk of asthma as well as eczema amongst hairdressers
Cosmetologists are also susceptible to a
special kind of pulmonary disease called “thesauruses” as a result of their
frequent exposures to hair spray.
Hospital workers including nurses and radiographers may be exposed to radioactive
source which are potentially hazardous especially to pregnant women, as they
can cause either miscarriages or abnormal foetuses. All the problems highlighted above relate
specifically to the occupational health of women workers worldwide.
Types and features of women’s work.
Women face the dual burden of household and
productive work which is often heavy, monotonous, ergonomically inappropriate,
and involves little control over the job.
Women in rural areas spend most of their time meeting the basic needs of
the family, such as fetching water and firewood, preparation of food and caring
for dependants. They are usually the
last to go to bed and the first to rise.
Women also spend a significant
amount of time engaging in informal trading, selling surplus produce and their
own handicrafts to supplement the family income.
In greater Britain (an example of an
industrialised country) the labour force survey in 1995 indicated that the vast
majority of women (85 per cent) work in service industries: health where 81 per cent of workers are
women; education has 65 per cent, hotels and catering has 61 per cent, and
retail trade has 59 per cent. Only 13
per cent of women work in the manufacturing and construction industries
compared with 36 per cent of men. But in
clothing manufacturing 73 per cent of workers are women. Overall, 70 per cent of women work in
non-manual occupations.
Women tend to be concentrated in low-paid, low
status jobs In many of the developing
countries, women are employed in industries as unskilled or semi-skilled
workers, or as seasonal employees, particularly in the food, clothing and
textile industries. They have little
chance of promotion. Women are often the
victims of the piece wage in agriculture, whereby they are brought in to
supplement low family wages as contract labour and are sometimes not even
recognised as working, but simply help their husbands complete piece tasks. The lack of employment contracts, are not
covered by any protective legislation in terms of working
conditions/environment and are not considered for employment or post employment
benefits, such as pensions.
Hours
of work
Working time is one of the most essential
aspects of conditions of work. The level
of hours of work and the way those hours are organised can influence, among
others, occupational safety and health, the level of earnings, and the amount
of time for rest and leisure. Various
studies have shown that women work harder and longer. A woman’s workday is long and arduous. Studies in Africa reveal that women work
between 16 and 18 hours a day, especially in the rural areas where 65 to 70 per
cent of women still reside. The women
workers at the NOIDA Export Processing Zone outside Delhi, start their day at 5
a.m. and return from work to attend to household chores which go on until 11
p.m. This situation is not confined to
the Third World alone. A study in the
United States of America found that the percentage of working women holding two
or more paid jobs increased from 2.2 per cent in 1970 to 5.9 per cent in 199,
while that of men holding two jobs decreased by 0.6 per cent .
Some traditionally female professions such as
nursing, often involve rotating shifts.
Irregular working hours, especially rotating shifts, may disturb normal
body functions. Moreover, women shift
workers may have to face stressful living conditions in relation to the time
pressures determined by the irregular work schedules and their additional
domestic duties, particularly for those married with children. Some forms of shift work have also been associated
with early foetal loss
It is
evident therefore that while the entry of women into the labour force has
changed traditional gender roles and provided women with greater economic
opportunities, it has unfortunately led to decreased rest time which could
result in negative psychosocial impact.
Occupational/work-related
hazards and health consequences
Reproductive hazards
Lonising radiation from X-rays, to which
health workers are exposed, can result in foetal deformity in the earliest
weeks of pregnancy, sometimes before the woman herself realises that she is
pregnant. Exposure to biological hazards
such as rubella and toxoplasma, which can be contracted through hospital and
domestic work, endangers both the mother and child’s health. Women workers are
also exposed to myriad toxic substances during pregnancy outcomes. Anaesthetic gases, e.g. halothane, have been
implicated in abortions in exposed health workers. Pesticides in the course of their formulation
and use have been shown to produce abnormal foetal development, while lead,
used in paint, battery, printing and welding industries, have also been
implicated in mutations resulting in deformities in children.
Formaldehyde (used in textile, paper and ink
industries and in laboratories), perchloroethylene (used as a dry cleaning
agent) and metals such as mercury, copper and cadmium have all been found to be
risk factors in a range of reproductive problems, from menstrual disorders,
decreases in fertility, deformity and brain damage in children, miscarriage,
still births and spontaneous abortion.
Clearly the list of reproductive hazards is endless because many
chemical effects have not been detected as several thousand new chemicals enter
the market every year and the majority of them have not been tested for their
health effects. In addition, the effects
may take years to manifest themselves.
For example, exposure to the drug diethylstilboestrol only produced its
effect-cervical cancer-in the succeeding female generation about forty years
later. Given poor screening for diseases
such as cervical cancer in the developing countries, these health problems may
remain undetected although commonly suffered.
Ergonomic
hazards
Manual handling is one of the most common
causes of injury (especially back injury) at work. It can be caused by carrying heavy weights
such as boxes and equipment, and, pushing from lifting hospital patients (one
of the daily duties of nurses), and any work that involves lowering, pulling,
carrying or moving loads by hand by bodily force. If these operations are not carried out
safely they can result in injuries to the back, hands arms, and feet. Much of the equipment and machines in use at
the workplace have been designed for men and are not readily adaptable to the
physique and physiology of women. Hence,
it often results in musculoskeketal disorders for women. It is suggested that because of the perceived
difference in physical capabilities between men and women, the latter are
advised not to lift the same weight as their male counterparts without prior
specific individual assessment being carried out.
Psychosocial hazards
A number of surveys and an ILO report on
“Preventing Stress at Work” have indicated that stress affects working women
more than men. Several factors seem to
magnify the impact of stress on women, such as the fact that women are often
less paid than men; and many organisations lack policies that allow for family
responsibilities, and that the types of occupations performed by women may have
characteristics which account for stress at work - high job demands and low
worker control over the job and work organisation. Teachers and nurses who have responsibilities
for the health, welfare and well-being of others, have been identified as being
particularly at risk of stress.Sexual harassment has been described as the most
common and the least discussed occupational health hazard for women. It can cause depression, fatigue, headaches,
sleeplessness, hostility, inability to concentrate and deterioration of
personal relationships. Studies have
shown that an estimated 50 per sent of women will experience sexual harassment
at some time during their working lives
Women
are far more likely to experience sexual harassment than men, partly because of
the status and role of women in society, but also because of their status and
role in the workplace. It thrives in an
atmosphere where one individual has power or authority over another.
Other hazards or related
factors
Nutrition is particularly important both
generally and in relation to work: “good
nutrition not only contributes to the greater welfare and happiness of mankind
but also enable people to work and produce more”. Acute or chronic under-nutrition has been
found to be an insidious factor in the causes of occupational accidents, and
has been classified among the factors which may cause fatigue and lessen
concentration. Due to the multiple roles
of women in society, they have special nutritional needs and health care
requirement, but unfortunately they often have less of both. Nutritional anaemia, as a result of poor
economic situation coupled with repeated pregnancies, and abortions was the
root cause workers at the NOIDA Export Processing Zone in India. Their own under-nutrition meant that their
foetuses were inadequately nourished, producing low birth weight babies who
were more at risk of deaths and diseases.
The role of climate in working conditions is
often underestimated. This aspect is of
particular importance in relation to working time and schedules, nutrition and
occupational safety and health. In
Africa, 60-80 per cent of al l food farming is done by women .Many of them also
work in commercial agricultural plantations.
They perform physical work such as of sugar cane or weeding, in hot
conditions which raises their body temperature.
Working in such an environment could result in heat stress which places
extra load on the heart, already stressed if the worker is pregnant, with
disastrous health consequences. It must
be emphasized that the above description of exposure to occupational hazards by
women workers does not mean that men do not suffer under the same conditions,
nor that the special risks to women should be used as a means of excluding them
from certain forms of labour. Indeed,
many of these problems are faced by the working population as a whole, both
male and female. However, the role of women in childbirth implies that these
risks require attention for their additional effects on future generations. As
explained earlier, because of women’s common role as casual, unskilled labour,
they are often exposed to the most risky working conditions, with the lowest
levels of protection.
Problems for Working Women:
She is a Woman!
Distinctions are always
made between male candidates and female candidates at workplace. The first
thing one notices about a woman employee is that ’she is a woman’. They do not
even think about her position and qualification. In general, people do not
respect the abilities and talents in women. It takes a long time for them to
succeed and get promoted. Nobody makes a single effort to understand who she
really is as a person. People draw conclusions about her attitude, reputation
and character the way they like. Women are always paid low in comparison to
male colleagues, in spite of possessing same skills and qualification. They
always need to prove themselves not only to higher authorities but also at home
and society.
Balancing
between career and family:
Another problem is that women face greater
difficulties when trying to balance work and family. Today’s career women have
to make tough choices between their career and family. One of the major
problems faced by a woman is getting back to work after taking a career break
such as maternity leave.
Sexual harassment
Among all the problems sexual harassment is
the most. Today, almost all working women are prone to sexual harassment
irrespective of their status, personal characteristics and the types of their
employment. Sexual harassment is never good for a company’s reputation or
productivity, so it is always best to prevent sexual harassment from taking
place at all. There should be a strong law to punish them and protect women.
Once a company’s employees and customers are safe from sexual harassment, the
company is well on its way to success.
Health Risks
While we talk of problems faced by women at
corporate level its worthy to mention that those women who are working at rural
sectors are at equal risk when it comes to their health. It is generally
believed that women prefer part-time or work from home jobs as such jobs enable
them to balance their work along with their domestic responsibilities. But in
some cases its observed that specially in case of works like-nursing jobs,
contract jobs fact, flexible working hours as per the requirement of the
employers makes things quite difficult for women.
Its important to note that absence of clearly
defined work schedule increases the stress and impacts their health. A large
number of women workers is said to complain of frequent headaches, back pain,
fatigue and high blood pressure. Also factors such as-- Poor nutritional
status, anaemia, tension, concentrated attention required by some jobs in
industries related to embroidery, electric appliances, gems, jewelery etc,
which demands intellectual or mental activities increases fatigue. A large
number of women workers complain of symptoms such as irritability, mood swings,
depression, sadness and concentration problems.
Gender inequality:
Gender inequality is the basic and the biggest hurdle in the way of
working women of Pakistan. Problems faced in working fields like health,
agriculture, education, industry level etc.
Income disparities linked to job stratification:
Wage discrimination is
the discrepancy of wages between two groups due to a bias towards or against a
specific trait with all other characteristics of both groups being equivalent.
In the case of gender inequality, wage discrimination exists between the male
and female gender. Historically, gender inequality has favored men over
similarly qualified women.
Gender inequality in the labor market persists. While nearly 9 out of
10 men are in the labor force, only 3 out 4 women are working. In addition,
women and men continue to be highly concentrated in typically female and
typically male jobs, respectively.
VEIL A
PROBLEM FOR WORKING WOMEN :
In
islamabad and other cities of Pakistan women are facing many problems in their
jobs to get them even, and whom are donig it, are still consistent in
performing their work with full extreme hard work. Some of them are discussed
below:-
Fresh women graduates, wearing veil and having no glamorous look, are facing problems to get a job, as majority of the employers appear to entertain the modern and stylish women ignoring even merit.
Due to the limited job opportunities in the government sector, the job seekers usually head towards different private organizations to utilize their skills.
Over the past few years the skills and competence have taken a back seat while the good and glamorous looks have become a criterion for getting a good job in private sector, which has almost barred the entry of many competent but veiled women in these sectors.
The materialism and commercialism have become so popular that the noble profession of teaching has also become its victims where the private schools are only giving preferences to those applicants who are presentable.
CASE STUDY:
You are having a Masters degree and capable enough to teach but the only thing you are required to do is to beautify yourself, said the principal of a leading private school to Shabana Azam, who is holding a degree of Masters in International Relations.
I was simply shocked over the statement of the principal as she was ignoring my skills and giving importance to the superficial beauty, she said while adding that the noble profession of teaching has become a victim of commercialism.
In another incident Humeira Saleem, a resident of Chaklala, went to a private school for a job and faced utter disappointment when the administration not even bothered to call her for interview just because she was wearing veil.
They just treated me as if I belong to some other world and rudely put me off saying that they will call me later on, she said.
Humaira said that teaching was now actually the matter of commercialism where the employers try to make their institute more saleable with the help of glamour. The changing criteria for jobs are mocking the credibility and efficiency of various private organizations and institutions, she added.
This situation not only prevails in teaching sector but also in different development and banking sectors. Its right that we look for the women who could carry themselves in stylish manner as we want to depict the enlightened vision of our country in front of donors, said the media officer of a recognized NGO.
She said that in order to show the modern side of our country we usually entertain those women who are not wearing veil and having a stunning look. The stigma of talibanization attached to the veiled women is actually hindering their entry in the development sector, she said.
Sehrish Umar, working in a private bank, said that her boss after her recruitment tried to convince her to adopt an up-to-date look in order to excel. It means that my degree of MSc in Statistics stands nowhere and I have to appear in a certain manner in order to progress, she said.
The commercialization in private organizations is undoubtedly hindering the progress of many capable women who despite having competence and skills could not excel just for some superficial reasons.
This changing criteria for jobs is also mocking the slogans for women empowerment who on one hand is encouraging women to show their expertise in different sectors while on the other hand is depriving them to excel.
Fresh women graduates, wearing veil and having no glamorous look, are facing problems to get a job, as majority of the employers appear to entertain the modern and stylish women ignoring even merit.
Due to the limited job opportunities in the government sector, the job seekers usually head towards different private organizations to utilize their skills.
Over the past few years the skills and competence have taken a back seat while the good and glamorous looks have become a criterion for getting a good job in private sector, which has almost barred the entry of many competent but veiled women in these sectors.
The materialism and commercialism have become so popular that the noble profession of teaching has also become its victims where the private schools are only giving preferences to those applicants who are presentable.
CASE STUDY:
You are having a Masters degree and capable enough to teach but the only thing you are required to do is to beautify yourself, said the principal of a leading private school to Shabana Azam, who is holding a degree of Masters in International Relations.
I was simply shocked over the statement of the principal as she was ignoring my skills and giving importance to the superficial beauty, she said while adding that the noble profession of teaching has become a victim of commercialism.
In another incident Humeira Saleem, a resident of Chaklala, went to a private school for a job and faced utter disappointment when the administration not even bothered to call her for interview just because she was wearing veil.
They just treated me as if I belong to some other world and rudely put me off saying that they will call me later on, she said.
Humaira said that teaching was now actually the matter of commercialism where the employers try to make their institute more saleable with the help of glamour. The changing criteria for jobs are mocking the credibility and efficiency of various private organizations and institutions, she added.
This situation not only prevails in teaching sector but also in different development and banking sectors. Its right that we look for the women who could carry themselves in stylish manner as we want to depict the enlightened vision of our country in front of donors, said the media officer of a recognized NGO.
She said that in order to show the modern side of our country we usually entertain those women who are not wearing veil and having a stunning look. The stigma of talibanization attached to the veiled women is actually hindering their entry in the development sector, she said.
Sehrish Umar, working in a private bank, said that her boss after her recruitment tried to convince her to adopt an up-to-date look in order to excel. It means that my degree of MSc in Statistics stands nowhere and I have to appear in a certain manner in order to progress, she said.
The commercialization in private organizations is undoubtedly hindering the progress of many capable women who despite having competence and skills could not excel just for some superficial reasons.
This changing criteria for jobs is also mocking the slogans for women empowerment who on one hand is encouraging women to show their expertise in different sectors while on the other hand is depriving them to excel.
Harassment in Nursing Profession:
Case study:
While we talk of problems faced by women at corporate level its worthy
to mention that those women who are working at rural sectors are at equal risk
when it comes to their health. It is generally believed that women prefer
part-time or work from home jobs as such jobs enable them to balance their work along with their
domestic responsibilities. But in some cases its observed that specially in
case of works like-nursing jobs, contract jobs fact, flexible working hours as
per the requirement of the employers makes things quite difficult for women.
KARACHI –
Female house job doctors
Have expressed serious concerns over the
Working atmosphere at Civil Hospital
Karachi and said that harassment by some
Male paramedical staffers during the job
has caused serious mental stress. This
harassment is
not
limited only to female doctors, but it also covers female
paramedical staff that needs attention of the
higher authorities
towards the dilemma. As per complaints
gathered by The Nation, the newly appointed lady doctors feel themselves highly
insecure while doing long hours duties in different wards, Outdoor Patient
Departments, Intensive Care Unit and the operations theatres of the CHK. In
emergency and normal situation, the entire burden of patients is mostly borne
by the house job doctors at CHK.
“We are already working under poor and unhealthy living conditions at Civil Hospital. The Staff Rooms available for the junior doctors lack basic facilities of safe drinking water, proper seating arrangement and clean washrooms.
Nevertheless, the offensive behavior of the paramedical workers cannot be tolerated by all means,” a fresh doctor, who is completing her house job training at the General Patient Ward of Civil Hospital, said. “We have brought this issue into the notice of hospital administration many times by informing that the male nurses and ward boys do not give proper respect to us. They annoy and threaten us verbally, psychologically and sometimes sexually without having any fear and accountability of the hospital management,(DAWAN)
“We are already working under poor and unhealthy living conditions at Civil Hospital. The Staff Rooms available for the junior doctors lack basic facilities of safe drinking water, proper seating arrangement and clean washrooms.
Nevertheless, the offensive behavior of the paramedical workers cannot be tolerated by all means,” a fresh doctor, who is completing her house job training at the General Patient Ward of Civil Hospital, said. “We have brought this issue into the notice of hospital administration many times by informing that the male nurses and ward boys do not give proper respect to us. They annoy and threaten us verbally, psychologically and sometimes sexually without having any fear and accountability of the hospital management,(DAWAN)
PROBLEMS AT HEALTH SECTOR:
TOTAL NUMBER OF DOCTORS /
DENTAL SURGEONS(G.P's with basic degree only)
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REGISTERED
UP TO 31ST JANUARY, 2009
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TOTAL NUMBER OF DOCTORS/DENTAL SURGEONS REGISTERED
Up to 31st JANUARY, 2009 as SPECIALISTS |
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| Employment should be a must for women. If not, these women will keep on facing discrimination and will not able to achieve equality or live a decent life in the community. This should be a priority on political agendas and for woman's rights organizations. |
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