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ABSTRACT
Indian Railway- a name with which daily lives of and considering the volume of passengers it handles
crores of middle-class and low-class class Indians are every day, the employees in Railways including
deeply involved, an industry that has eased up the women require working round the clock to ensure the
lives of many at affordable price, and a very important smooth running of the railways.
tangible part of Indian Economy that flows
throughout the country touching almost every corner
corner- The Railways, being a surface transport sector,
always. The women workers are the part of our Indian involves many jobs which are arduous in nature
railways as well as Indian economy. This paper and perceived to be tough for a woman to handle.
attempts to analyze the issues and challeng
challenges of Hence, in order to render optimum efficient service,
Women Empowerment in Indian railways. Today the the women employees in Railways require customized
cust
empowerment of women has become one of the most working conditions that would cater to their unique
important concerns of 21st century especially Indian job needs. Further, in view of the fact that a large
railways. Women empowerment it can also point to section of its commuters are women, the
approaches regarding other trivialized genders in responsibility of the Railways is huge in terms of
particular
rticular political or social contexts. The study is providing necessary amenities and security
securi to its
based on purely from secondary sources. The study women passengers in station premises and onboard
reveals that women of India railways are relatively trains. Railways are a male-dominated
male industry.
disempowered and they enjoy somewhat lower status Women in the railway industry tend to work in
than that of men in spite of many efforts undertaken administration, sales, catering and cleaning. They are
by Government. The study concludes by an also more likely to be found in outsourced positions.
posit
observation that access to facilities, percentage of
female worker and analyses of railways committee 2. Review of Literature
report for the empowerment of women. M. Bhavani Sankara Rao (2011) has highlighted
that health of women members of SHG have certainly
Keywords: Women Empowerment, Middle
Middle-Class, taken a turn to better. It clearly shows that heath of
Social Contexts, Disempowered women members discuss among themselves about
health related problems of other members and their
1. INTRODUCTION children and make them aware of various Government
Indian Railways is one of the world's largest provisions specially meant for them.
railway networks, providing both passenger and
freight services. It is also the largest public sector Kamini B. Dashora in their paper “Problems faced
employer in the country with 13,33,966 employees by Working Women in India” published in
as on 31stMarch, 2014 out of which 89 89,337 are International Journal of Advanced Research in
Management nt and Social Sciences (2013) states that a
gender bias creates lot of hurdles while remunerating
women employees. Being the lifeline of the country the women at the workplace. There is an old belief
@ IJTSRD | Available Online @ www.ijtsrd.com | Volume – 2 | Issue – 5 | Jul-Aug 2018 Page: 650
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) ISSN: 2456-6470
Group-D Women Staff including Workshop and Artisan The impact of restructuring and outsourcing on
Staff. women in railways
Workshop and Artisan Staff = 1349 Issues relating to pregnancy and maternity,
Other than Workshop and Artisan Staff = 7596 violence and sexual harassment and
discrimination
Source: Report on Railway Committee on Women Women in trade unions: their representation and
Empowerment, April 2015. leadership at different levels.
On observing that the women employees It is our responsibility to raise awareness of the issues
constitute a mere 6.7% of the total employees in facing women within the railway industry. We also
the Railways and their strength in Group 'A' and need to encourage women railway workers to join and
Group 'B' posts are negligible. participate in unions.
Representing railway workers around the world. Annual Railways Committee Report on Women
Railway workers include train drivers, engineers, Empowerment, April 2015
guards, control officers, signal staff, yard officials, The committee submitted reports on women
shunters, rolling stock and track maintenance workers, empowerment 2015 and that report analyses the
cleaners, caterers, ticket staff and customer service women working atmosphere in Indian railways and
professionals. committee refer to over all development and more
facilities the women worker in Indian railways. Like
We fight for the rights of railway workers this,
through: Transfer and posting of women employees
Campaigning Child care (Creches) and rest rooms
Education Working hours and conveyance facility
Research Sexual harassment complaints / grievance
Solidarity redressal mechanism
Hostels/quarters for single women employees
We share information and coordinate action to combat
the negative effects of restructuring, privatization and 6. Findings
outsourcing Based on the present work, the following findings are
drawn:
The challenges facing women railway workers In Indian Railways women employees are less
Women’s roles tend to be the lowest paid in the than the men employees.
railway industry Women employees’ strength in group-A and B
They struggle to reach management positions post are negligible.
Outsourcing results in a lack of job security and Gender discrimination for employees.
participation in unions Missing women are major flow in the Indian
Barriers exist prohibiting women from working in Railway in terms of roaster.
certain functions – these can be legislative or as a Nature of job in railways for women employees is
result of company or management policy not satisfactory.
Workplace health and safety issues e.g. violence
and sexual harassment, maternity and pregnancy 7. Suggestions
provisions Following are the suggestions for the present study:
Railways should conducting separate special
Role of International Transport Federation (ITF) requirement for women in Indian railways.
in Women Railway Workers Provide skill oriented training programme for
In December 2008 in Brazil, ITF held its first meeting women employees in railways.
focusing on the issues faced by women railway Combat violence against women employees.
workers. To improve working environment for the women
employees.
The meeting addressed ongoing challenges, including:
Under representation of women in operations and 8. Conclusion
technical functions, and managerial positions
@ IJTSRD | Available Online @ www.ijtsrd.com | Volume – 2 | Issue – 5 | Jul-Aug 2018 Page: 651
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development (IJTSRD) ISSN: 2456-6470
The attainment in the field of income / employment
and in educational front, the scenario of women References
empowerment seems to be comparatively poor. The 1. Annual Committee Report on Women
need of the hour is to identify those loopholes or Empowerment in Indian Railways 2015.
limitations which are observing the realization of
2. Annual Report: Ministry of Human Resource
empowerment of women and this initiative must be
Development, India, 2008.
started from the women folk itself as well as more
importantly policy initiative taken by the state and 3. Dunlop, J. E. and Velkoff, V. A. 1999. ‘Women
society. Let us take the oath that we want an and the Economy in India’, Working Paper,
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one’s well being and well being of the society as Displacement of the Female in the Indian
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of the most important concerns of 21st century not Vol. 19, No. 47.
only at national level but also at the international
level. Government should implement programmes for 5. Indian Railway Portal.
women employees for the sake of empowerment and 6. Indian Railways Annual Report and Accounts,
railways should develop centralized IT enabled 2011-12.
employees information system at the earliest for easy
access to information and Government initiatives 7. Pankaj Kumar Barol and Rahul Sarania.
alone would not be sufficient to achieve this goal. Employment and Educational Status: Challenges
Society must take initiative to create a climate in of Women Empowerment in India, A Peer-
which there is no gender discrimination and women Reviewed Indexed International Journal of
have full opportunities of self decision making and Humanities & Social Science.
participating in social, political and economic life of 8. Rajeshwari M. Shettar, “A Study on Issues and
the country with a sense of equality. Then only the Challenges of Women Empowerment in India”.
Vedic verse (Wherever Women is respected, God
9. http://www.indianrailway.co.in.
resides there) would come true.
10. http://www.SWR.com.
@ IJTSRD | Available Online @ www.ijtsrd.com | Volume – 2 | Issue – 5 | Jul-Aug 2018 Page: 652