GS4 · UPSC Mains

Saraswathi has been recently appointed as a Labor Enforcement Officer (LEO). Saraswathi has always lived with her family in a metropolitan area. Due to her new posting, she has shifted to a sub-urban area and this is the first time that she is living away from her family. Though Saraswathi is enjoying her work, some cultural difference, especially related to gender discrimination, has come as a rude shock to her. One day, Saraswathi was inspecting a construction site as part of her official duty of protecting the rights of laborer and ensuring a safe work environment. Upon her arrival on the project site, she was greeted by Jagat, the chief contractor of the project. Jagat showed her around the project site and everything appeared sound at first. However, when she was about to leave, she saw an injured woman, Shanti. Saraswathi initially assumed that shanti was injured in some work-related accident. She asked Shanti about her injury and what shanti revealed to Saraswathi shook her. Shanti told Saraswathi that she was a 17-year-old girl belonging to a tribal community and the contractor had brought her to the construction site with a promise of a decent working wage. While the male laborers were paid 25 rupees/day, Ajith paid Shanti just 15 rupees/day for her back breaking manual labor. Shanti approached Ajith and demanded an increase in her daily wage to 20 rupees/ day or she would go back to her village. Shanti was accompanied by some other women laborer. Not only Ajith refused to accept her demand but also thrashed her with a steel rod to set an example for the other laborers. Further, Shanti was forced to work on the construction site and not allowed to go back to her village, so that she can serve as a constant reminder of terrible repercussions for defying the contractor. Saraswathi, who has never witnessed such barbarism in her sheltered urban life, was overwhelmed by emotions. Saraswathi was furious with the contractor Ajith and demanded an explanation on the incident. Ajith brazenly replied that he pays to his employees what they deserve implying to gender and caste status of the employees. Saraswathi decided to initiate legal action against Ajith. However, her subordinates advised her against taking any action as Ajith is a local strongman and politically well-connected with the ruling dispensation. Ajith also threatened Saraswathi, who lives all by herself in a small town, of dire consequences for her activism. Considering this case, answer the following questions: a) What explains the widespread gender-based pay gap in jobs across sectors? b) Highlighting ethical issues involved in this case, evaluate different courses of actions available to Saraswathi. c) If you were in Saraswathi's position, what would you have done? Justify.

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