Articles by Mina Swaminathan

The Sixth Pay Commission has recommended a liberal increase in maternity and childcare facilities - a welcome move. It has however specified only women, thus making childcare the mother's responsibility alone. Even the present entitlements are implemented only in the government and public sector, largely ignored in the private sector and not available at all to a majority of women in the unorganised sector though some states have made attempts to cover the latter. The central government has also ignored the National Labour Commission (2002) report that emphasises the State's share in providing maternity entitlements in different sectors rather than making it the employer's liability alone.

the decision-making process. But other studies, from Maharashtra and Karnataka, give a different picture.
The National Perspective Planning for women had envisaged the insensitivily of the male bureaucrats to the gender issue and recommended that 50 per cent of all grass roots functionaries must he women. The Perspective Plan also recommended relaxation of the educational qualification for women along with a short training course for them Under the present set up, all developmental schemes and allocations of funds for women's welfare are routed through collectors, BDOs and other officials. What is more, the developmental schemes have a household approach with the unit equated with its head who of ten happens to be a male. Hence, the women of the household get neglected.

Laws and policies which attempt to promote breast-feeding merely by placing restrictions on artificial feeding without simultaneously providing positive social support measures may be damaging to children besides being unfair and unjust to women. A radical change in perspective is needed which recognises that a woman's reproductive role is a form of 'social production" which needs social support.