Editorials/Opinions Analysis For UPSC 22 February 2024

CONTENTS

1. Discrimination Against Women in Workplace
2. Influence of AI and Digital Media on General Elections

Discrimination Against Women in Workplace

Context:

The Supreme Court of India has strongly criticized an outdated and patriarchal notion, asserting that regulations penalizing female employees for marrying are unconstitutional. The court deemed the termination of employment based on marriage as a clear instance of gender discrimination and inequality, emphasizing that such patriarchal rules undermine human dignity, the right to non-discrimination, and fair treatment.

Relevance:

GS2-

• Issues Related to Women
• Gender
• Employment
• Issues Relating to Development

GS3- Indian Economy- Inclusive Growth

Mains Question:

The Supreme Court of India has strongly criticized an outdated and patriarchal notion, asserting that regulations penalizing female employees for marrying are unconstitutional. In this context, discuss the challenges faced by women workforce and analyse the efficacy of government initiatives in this regard. (15 Marks, 250 Words).

More on the Ruling:

• These remarks were part of a ruling that upheld the rights of a former lieutenant and Permanent Commissioner Officer in the Military Nursing Service, who was discharged from service in 1988 due to her marriage.
• Justice Sanjiv Khanna, leading the bench, directed the Union Government to compensate her with ₹60 lakh within eight weeks. The government had appealed to the Supreme Court against a 2016 decision by the Lucknow Bench of the Armed Forces Tribunal, which had ruled in her favor.
• The Court, declaring her dismissal as “wrong and illegal,” pointed out that the rule against marriage applied only to female nursing officers.
• Women have faced a prolonged and challenging struggle for gender parity in the Army, achieving permanent commission rights after judgments in 2020 and 2021. The Court stressed that the Indian Army’s purported encouragement of more women to join the forces must be substantiated by concrete actions.

Other Challenges Faced by Women in the Workplace:

Patriarchal Social Norms:

• Entrenched patriarchal norms and traditional gender roles frequently restrict women’s opportunities for education and employment.
• Societal expectations often prioritize women as caregivers and homemakers, dissuading their active engagement in the workforce.
• The civilian sector also faces challenges, as women frequently encounter uncomfortable personal inquiries during job interviews, such as inquiries about their plans for marriage and motherhood.

Gender Wage Gap:

• In India, women commonly encounter wage disparities compared to men performing similar tasks.
• The World Inequality Report of 2022 reveals that men in India command 82% of labor income, leaving women with only 18%. This wage gap can deter women from pursuing formal employment opportunities.

Unpaid Care Work:

• The responsibility of unpaid care and domestic tasks disproportionately falls on women, limiting their time and energy for paid employment.
• Married women in India spend over 7 hours daily on unpaid care and domestic work, while men devote less than 3 hours.
• Employed women follow closely, spending 348 minutes (5.8 hours) per day on such chores, impacting their ability to engage in paid work.
• This unequal distribution persists across income levels and caste groups, resulting in a significant gender disparity in domestic responsibilities, which acts as a substantial barrier to women’s workforce participation.

Social and Cultural Stigma:

Certain communities may stigmatize or resist women working outside the home, leading to lower rates of labor force participation.

Female Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR):

• Despite an increase in girls’ enrollment in Class 10, India’s Female LFPR has decreased from 30% to 24% in the past two decades.
• Domestic work remains a key factor contributing to lower female LFPR, even among educated women. India’s female LFPR (24%) is the lowest among BRICS countries and select South Asian nations, with China boasting the highest at 61%.

Lack of Economic Empowerment:

• Globally, women’s labor force participation is 51%, compared to 80% for men. In India, it stands at 23% as per the latest PLFS Survey.
• The gender pay gap is prominent, with India ranking among the bottom five countries, displaying a gender pay gap of 34%.

Access to Productive Capital:

• Women often struggle to access funds and capital for farming, starting a business, or other development work.
• Limited access to informal networks further hinders women from participating in high-profile projects and opportunities.

Crisis of Regular Employment:

• The lack of employment opportunities, rather than a voluntary withdrawal from the labor force, often explains why women are not reported as workers.
• This crisis of regular employment has likely intensified during the pandemic and lockdown.

Glass Ceiling Effect:

• In corporate settings, women earn on average 79% of what men earn, hold only 5% of Fortune 500 CEO positions, and represent 17% of global Board positions.
• Discrimination against women, even in prestigious companies like Google, for their reproductive choices is highlighted in reports.

Safety Issues:

Concerns about safety and harassment at work sites, both explicit and implicit, contribute to inhibiting women’s participation in the workforce.

Way Forward:

• To enhance women’s participation in the workforce, currently at a dismal 19.9% for women of all ages according to the latest Periodic Labour Force data (October-December 2023), barriers in education, employment, opportunities, and ingrained biases need to be dismantled.
• The reality is that numerous girls, particularly those from impoverished backgrounds, must discontinue their education due to various factors, ranging from economic constraints to inadequate sanitation facilities.
• The Supreme Court’s assertion that rules considering marriage and domestic responsibilities as grounds for disqualification of women employees are unconstitutional should resonate with all organizations.
• From an economic standpoint, narrowing gender disparities in labor force participation has the potential to significantly enhance global GDP. Regions with substantial gender gaps stand to experience considerable growth benefits.
• Furthermore, numerous developed countries would witness an upswing in their average annual GDP growth, particularly noteworthy during periods of almost negligible economic expansion.
• The UN’s Gender Snapshot 2023 presented a bleak assessment of global gender parity, warning that without corrective measures, the next generation of women will continue to disproportionately engage in household chores, lag behind men in leadership roles, and face persistent gender imbalances.

Conclusion:

Government initiatives for girls and women, though regularly announced, will have little impact if they are constrained by rigid social and cultural norms. The essential aspect of human well-being involves the freedom to choose work under conditions of dignity, safety, and fairness. Ensuring that women possess this fundamental right is valuable in its own right. This would promote workplaces as facilitators rather than obstacles in the pursuit of gender equality.

Influence of AI and Digital Media on General Elections

Context:

In the contemporary landscape, the intersections of national and international interests are intricately woven with cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, and nanotechnology. In the context of Indian democracy, this technological progression holds the potential to reshape the electoral environment, offering both advantages and challenges.

Relevance:

• GS-2-Government Policies & Interventions
• GS-3-Artificial Intelligence

Mains Question:

Laws and moral standards governing the application of AI to political campaigns ought to be developed to reduce the possibility of abuse and guarantee openness. Comment. (10 Marks, 150 Words).

AI and the Challenges to Democratic Processes:

• The utilization of AI-driven algorithms on social media platforms, ostensibly designed to enhance user experiences, has taken a concerning turn in influencing political strategies.
• These algorithms contribute to the creation of isolated informational bubbles for voters, restricting their exposure to diverse ideas and potentially swaying their electoral decisions.
• The emergence of deepfakes, manipulative videos designed to appear authentic, poses a threat by spreading false narratives and tarnishing the reputations of political opponents. Social media bots amplify messages and fabricate trends, manipulating undecided voters.
• The intricate nature of AI-driven disinformation further complicates the task of distinguishing fact from fiction, jeopardizing the informed decision-making process during elections.
• As AI technologies evolve, identifying and attributing illicit activities to foreign actors, such as terrorist organizations or sleeper cells, becomes increasingly challenging. This complexity may hinder efforts to hold these actors accountable and prevent future interference.
• Instances of foreign governments deploying AI-powered bots and troll farms on social media platforms to disseminate misleading information and stereotypes against political candidates raise concerns about the potential manipulation of public opinion.
• The use of AI in influencing voters extends to psychosomatic profiling, as exemplified by the actions of political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica.
• By exploiting data gathered from billions of Facebook accounts, the firm crafted detailed psychological profiles of voters, enabling targeted and customized social media messages and advertisements.
• This method, demonstrated in the U.S. presidential elections of 2016 and 2020, as well as the Philippine midterm elections, poses a significant threat to democratic processes.

Exploring Positive Contributions of AI:

• Despite the challenges posed by AI and social media, there are positive aspects that can enhance democratic practices.
• AI’s ability to micro-target voters, creating detailed profiles based on demographics, social media activity, and internet behavior, offers tailored strategies that are more effective than traditional mass campaigns.
• Sentiment analysis enables the detection of emerging issues and measurement of public opinion, allowing campaigns to adapt messaging to resonate with voters.
• AI-driven chatbots contribute by addressing common queries and providing information to voters round the clock, freeing up human resources for more critical tasks.
• Predictive models enhance campaign efficiency by forecasting voter turnout and optimizing resource allocation.
• Social media and AI become tools for raising awareness, reaching a broader audience, and addressing complaints.

Way Forward:

• To leverage these positive contributions and mitigate challenges, a multifaceted approach is imperative.
• Strengthening cybersecurity measures is essential to safeguard electoral infrastructure and voter data.
• Media literacy and critical thinking skills need to be honed among voters to recognize and reject disinformation.
• International collaboration is crucial to prevent foreign interference, and governments must prioritize data handling protocols and employee training.
• Legal frameworks and ethical standards governing AI applications in political campaigns should be established, and all election content must be distinctly marked with authenticated identifiers to ensure transparency.
• The rush among regulators to enact AI regulations before the 2024 elections, following the AI fervor of 2023, underscores the need for a cautious approach. While addressing the emerging threats posed by AI is essential, hastily implemented regulations may inadvertently worsen the situation.
• The potential for unintended consequences, coupled with the complexities of regulating a rapidly evolving technological landscape, warrants careful analysis and reconsideration.
• It is crucial for well-intentioned regulators to recognize the delicate balance required in managing AI risks without unintentionally creating new challenges or hindering democratic processes.
• A forward-thinking approach by AI regulators is imperative, necessitating anticipation and formulation of rules that not only address current risks but also proactively tackle potential challenges in the future.
• In AI regulation, it is vital to comprehend that technology evolves rapidly, and the regulatory framework must evolve in tandem.
• By thinking ahead, regulators can contribute to the resilience of democratic processes, ensuring that voters in elections beyond 2024 benefit from an adaptive, proactive, and effective regulatory environment.

Conclusion:

While recognizing the importance of addressing AI-related electoral risks, it is crucial to avoid precipitous regulatory measures. Regulators must anticipate future risks, ensuring that rules formulated today remain pertinent in elections beyond 2024. Foresight and a measured approach are essential to strike a balance between addressing immediate concerns and avoiding unintended consequences in the intricate interplay of AI and democracy.