'Discriminatory and Illegal': Delhi Women's Commission Slams Bank for Not Hiring Pregnant Women

The World Bank said in 2019 that Indian women's participation in the workforce had declined to 20.9 percent. The Global Gender Gap Index, compiled by the World Economic Forum, ranked India 140th among 156 countries in 2021, a drop of 28 places. The index is based on the political and economic participation of women in a given country.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal on Monday issued a notice to "Indian Bank", asking it to withdraw its new recruitment drive, which states that women who are over 12 weeks' pregnant are "temporarily unfit" to work.

Last week, the Indian Bank, a government bank, in a notice said: "A woman candidate, who as a result of tests, is found to be pregnant of 12 weeks' standing or over, should be declared temporarily unfit until the confinement is over."

The Commission said that the alleged action of the bank is "discriminatory and illegal as it's contrary to the maternity benefits provided under 'The Code of Social Security, 2020'".

The DCW, a government organisation dedicated to issues related to women, has also written to the country's central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), bringing the matter to its attention.

Meanwhile, the All India Working Women Forum (AIWWF) has also written to federal Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, urging that she take action against the bank, calling the move "regressive and misogynistic".

"Classifying pregnancy as unfit is disgracing and dishonoring motherhood. Pregnancy is a natural phenomenon and it is not only the fundamental right of the woman to give birth but also necessary for the existence of mankind," the letter written by AIWWF stated.

Parliamentarian from Madurai Su. Venkatesan criticized the Indian Bank and called the move "gross gender discrimination."

Earlier, in January, India's largest bank, the State Bank of India (SBI), had stated that a female candidate who is more than three months' pregnant would be considered "temporarily unfit" and such a person could only join the bank within four months of delivery.

Later, the SBI revoked its decision after facing immense criticism from various organizations.

Until 2009, the SBI used to insist that women staff must undergo a medical examination at the time of recruitment and promotion to determine whether they were pregnant and submit a declaration giving details of their menstrual cycle.

After the prime minister's intervention, the SBI dismissed its declaration policy and started giving posts to women up to their sixth month of pregnancy.