Women and work: issues and concerns

Digital skills help women access online information, employment or self-employment opportunities, government services, and secure digital payments. Therefore, option A is correct. Option B is incorrect because digital skills generally expand rather than limit opportunities. Exam tip: Link digital skills with employment, financial inclusion, and access to information.

Women farmers play an important role in tasks such as sowing, weeding, harvesting, livestock care, and crop management. Recognizing their work gives due value to their real contribution to agricultural production and family income. Option C is incorrect because their farm labour is not merely household help; it is economically productive work. Exam tip: Link recognition of women farmers with production, income, rights, and decision-making.

Workplace dignity means that a woman is spoken to respectfully, treated fairly, and provided a safe working environment. Therefore, respectful language and fair treatment is the correct option. Insulting remarks, suppressing complaints, and paying lower wages violate dignity and equal opportunity. Exam tip: Link dignity at work with respect, safety, and non-discriminatory treatment.

Knowledge of legal rights helps women report wage discrimination, workplace harassment, unequal opportunities or exploitation and seek appropriate legal support. Therefore, option A is correct. Legal awareness does not mean exemption from workplace rules or giving an employer complete control over wages and working hours. Exam tip: Link legal awareness with safety, equality and access to justice.

Family support, such as sharing household work and care responsibilities, helps a working woman manage both home and employment roles more effectively. It can support her continuity and progress at work. Reducing financial independence would be a barrier, not a benefit of family support. Exam tip: Link family support with work-life balance and continuity of employment.

Lack of safety and care support becomes a barrier to continuing work. In exams write retention factors.

A bank account helps financial inclusion and security. In exams write financial inclusion.

Flexible work timing helps a woman arrange her working hours around family responsibilities, such as caring for children or older family members. It supports work–family balance and may help her continue in employment. Reducing wages is not the purpose of flexible timing. Exam tip: link flexible work schedules with work–family balance.

Writing her name on the product establishes the woman’s identity as its maker and gives due credit to her skill and labour. It can also help customers recognise her work and may create future work or income opportunities. Merely adding her name does not automatically reduce the product’s value. Exam tip: use the terms ‘identity’, ‘credit for labour’, and ‘economic opportunity’.

Health support helps maintain women work capacity. In exams write occupational health.

An identity card provides official proof of a woman worker’s identity and employment status. It can help her establish eligibility for labour welfare schemes, social-security benefits, bank services, and other essential support. Reducing working hours is not the purpose of an identity card. Exam tip: Mention both ‘proof of identity’ and ‘access to schemes/social security’ when stating its benefit.

Including women in decision-making ensures that their experiences, needs and priorities are reflected in policies and in family or community decisions. It promotes participation, equal opportunity and empowerment. Option B may seem possible because discussion can take time, but it is not the purpose of including women. Exam tip: Remember participation in decision-making as a key indicator of women’s empowerment.

Women often perform household, agricultural, family-enterprise and care work that is not formally recorded. Recording this work recognises their labour and provides evidence for fair payment, social security and work-related rights. Option B is the closest opposite distractor: records make work visible rather than hiding it. Exam tip: mention both ‘recognition of labour’ and ‘fair remuneration’.

Economic empowerment means that a woman can not only earn an income but also take part in decisions about its use, saving and spending. Therefore, option A is correct. Control of her income by others, denial of skill training, and lower pay for equal work are signs of economic inequality, not empowerment. Exam tip: Look for decision-making power and control over resources in such questions.

Social security may include maternity benefits, healthcare, accident insurance, pensions and income support. These provisions protect women workers’ income and livelihood during illness, pregnancy or workplace accidents. Option B is incorrect because social security supports safe, continuous employment rather than encouraging women to stop working. Exam tip: remember social security as protection of health and income during risks.

Career guidance helps women select a suitable career by considering their interests, abilities, education, skills and available employment opportunities. It supports informed choices rather than choices based on stereotypes. Option B is incorrect because guidance expands career options instead of restricting them. Exam tip: Mention interest, ability and opportunity as the key bases for career choice.

Respectful language creates a safe and dignified environment. In exams write respectful communication.

Market information helps women understand customer preferences, demand, competing products and fair prices. This enables them to choose suitable products, set prices and improve sales. Option B is incorrect because a business needs to communicate its work and products to customers, not hide them. Exam tip: mention ‘demand, price and customer needs’ when stating the benefits of market information.

A balanced diet supplies essential nutrients and energy, while adequate rest reduces fatigue and helps the body recover. Therefore, option A is correct because both are needed to maintain the health, work capacity, and continuity of work of working women. Rest is not meant to stop work; it helps a person continue working effectively and healthily. Exam tip: mention ‘energy, health, and work capacity’ in your answer.

A safe training centre should provide secure premises, clean facilities such as toilets, and a clear, reliable grievance-redressal system. These measures support women’s safety, dignity and participation. A security guard alone is not enough because safe access, hygiene and complaint support are also essential. Exam tip: For a women-friendly training centre, mention safety, facilities and grievance redressal.