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Article 42 directs the State to make provision for maternity relief, and the Maternity Benefit Act (amended 2017) provides ______ weeks of paid maternity leave for women employees in establishments with 10 or more workers, reflecting commitment to gender justice in workplace.
- 12
- 26
- 36
- 52
Answer: 26
Article 42 maternity relief and gender justice: (a) Article 42 text: State shall make provision for securing just and humane conditions of work and for maternity relief, (b) Maternity Benefit Act (amended 2017): (i) Paid leave: Provides 26 weeks of paid maternity leave for women employees in establishments with 10 or more workers (increased from 12 weeks), (ii) Creche facilities: Establishments with 50+ employees must provide creche facilities; enables women's workforce participation, (iii) Work from home: Option for work from home after maternity leave, subject to nature of work; enhances flexibility, work-life balance, (c) Gender justice dimensions: (i) Economic empowerment: Paid leave enables women to maintain income, career progression during motherhood, (ii) Health outcomes: Adequate leave supports maternal, child health; reduces infant mortality, improves breastfeeding rates, (iii) Workplace equality: Maternity benefits reduce discrimination against women in hiring, promotion; promote gender-inclusive workplaces, (d) Applications: (i) Formal sector: Large employers increasingly comply with Maternity Benefit Act; awareness, enforcement needed for smaller establishments, (ii) Informal sector: 90% of women workers in informal sector; extending maternity protections requires innovative approaches (portable benefits, community support), (iii) Public sector: Government schemes (NFSA maternity benefits) complement Maternity Benefit Act for vulnerable women, (e) Challenges: (i) Employer concerns: Small businesses worry about cost of maternity benefits; require support mechanisms (subsidies, insurance), (ii) Awareness: Many women unaware of maternity entitlements; require legal literacy campaigns, grievance redressal, (iii) Cultural norms: Patriarchal attitudes may discourage women from claiming benefits; require social change alongside legal reform, (f) Illustrates transformative gender policy: Article 42 operationalized through Maternity Benefit Act; balance between legal entitlement, employer capacity, cultural change essential for realizing constitutional vision of gender justice, work-life integration.