Occupational Factors Influencing Health Status of Women: A Case of Lock Industry

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Asiya Nasreen and Humaira Aftab (Department of Social Work, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi)

The present paper explored the health status of women working in the Lock Industry, in Aligarh, India. The study is descriptive in nature and benchmark data is collected through semi-structured interviews and secondary data. The focus was to understand the socio-economic status of women working in the lock Industry, implication of working conditions on their health and its management. Demographically, women lock workers mostly belong to low socio-economic strata. In lock factories, women work 6-9 hours a day all throughout the week with no rest break, without facilities or safety provisions offered by the employers. Satisfaction is remotely understood by them as merely getting wages as per the schedule and fulfilling the basic needs of the family. The cost of hard labour is paid in terms of health ailments they develop from occupational involvement. Every woman has complained of joint and muscular weakness, swelling in the legs and stiffness which affect personal, domestic and work life. Without any help from employer or government facility to overcome their health problems, these women make efforts of resorting low cost medicines from non-registered medical practitioners and while doing so spend a reasonable amount of their earnings on their care.