Silent struggles, challenges faced by women at workplaces in remote rural areas

Background: Women face lots of challenges at workplaces that affect health and wellbeing. Objective: Community-based study was conducted amongst rural women to learn about workplace harmful practices in remote villages. Methods: Cross-sectional analytic study included 4500 randomly selected tribal women, between ≥20 to ≤49 years, residing in 140 villages, willing to be study subjects. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted by research assistant in villages at mutually convenient places to know about awareness of women regarding harmful practices at workplaces. Results: Of 4500 women interviewed, majority (47.2%) were of 20-29 years age, educated upto primary level (38.8%), belonged to lower-middle economic class (42.2%). Of 4500 women, 1573(35.0%) were home-makers, 2927(65.0%) working women. Of 35.0% home-makers, 84.0% said they were aware that pesticides had ill-effects, but of working women, 74.7% talked of awareness. Total 71.4% of working women reported pesticides/other harmful chemicals use at workplaces, 52.8% regularly, 47.2% occasionally, and 28.8% said that pesticides were used even when pregnant women were working. Of 2927 working women only 59.6% were aware of need for protection from pesticides / chemicals, 84.2% reported availability of some protective equipments at workplaces. Of working women, majority agricultural laborers, 83.3% reported non-availability of toilets at workplaces with challenges in body function. Conclusion: More of less educated, belonging to low economic class, working as labourers faced challenges at workplaces, less of them had awareness. There is need for stringent regulations to provide basic amenities at workplaces, cautious use of harmful agents, with special care when pregnant women are working.