I. Muralitharan, M.A., M.L., Assistant Professor/Ph.D. Scholar, Government Law College Ramanathapuram
INTRODUCTION
The number of educated and employed women in India have increased drastically in the past 2 decades. Most of the women are no longer kept inside the four walls of the house. Now most of them are ambitious, educated and independent and are very active in all the employment sectors thus increasing the rate of employed women in various sectors. Still there is a greater number of men working than women, but there is also a good progress in the number of employed women in India comparing to how it was initially in the Indian society. Most of the young women are no longer forced to take care of their family and do chores in the kitchen. Nowadays they have a family and work life balance. There are working mothers and pregnant women working in different sectors of employment.
Employed women in general are given rights to exercise, but pregnant women are given specific rights and benefits at the workplace. It is the responsibility and the duty of the government to make sure pregnant working women are given with paid maternity benefits to ensure that pregnancy does not hamper their career growth or financial stability and independence. As a result, the government enacted the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961, which governs the employment of women in certain establishments during certain periods before and after childbirth, as well as the provision of maternity benefits and other benefits.
