Work, Livelihood and Career — NCERT Solutions

Women are guaranteed equality in India through the Constitution of India. The chapter states that the Constitution:

• guarantees equality of opportunity in matters of employment and appointment to any office under the State,
• forbids discrimination in employment on grounds of caste, creed, colour, race or sex,
• provides for just and humane conditions of work,
• protects women from exploitation,
• empowers the State to make special provisions for women and children.

So, equality is ensured by constitutional rights and supportive laws.

The government initiatives in favour of women mentioned in the chapter include:

• Factories Act, 1948, Plantation Labour Act, 1951, Mines Act, 1952, Employees State Insurance Act (ESI) and Maternity Benefit Act, 1961 to protect women workers.
• Article 16(1) ensuring equality of opportunity in employment.
• Crèches to be maintained when more than 30 women are employed in an industry or factory.
• Women’s cells in the Ministry of Labour.
• Equal Remuneration Act for equal pay for equal work.
• National Plan of Action (NPA) for women.
• A working group on women’s employment and a steering committee to improve data on women’s work.
• Schemes like Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) to bring dropout and never-enrolled girls into education.

These measures aim to protect, educate and empower women.

(a) Quality of work life (QWL):
Quality of work life means the conditions in which employees work and how satisfied they are with those conditions. It includes job and career satisfaction, pay, relationships with colleagues, lack of stress, participation in decision-making, balance between work and home, and general well-being.

(b) Life skills:
Life skills are abilities for adaptive and positive behaviour that help individuals deal effectively with everyday demands and challenges. They include thinking skills, coping skills and social skills such as self-awareness, empathy, communication, decision making, problem solving, creative thinking, critical thinking, coping with emotions and coping with stress.

A healthy work environment is a positive work environment that supports the physical, social, mental and emotional well-being of workers. It helps people do their work comfortably, safely and productively.

It can be created by:

• paying attention to employees’ needs as well as organisational needs,
• building a positive work climate,
• motivating individuals,
• being fair and treating people equally,
• ensuring technical competence,
• providing a safe and attractive environment,
• making the job interesting and challenging,
• matching the person to the task,
• delegating when necessary,
• fostering team spirit,
• training, encouraging and praising employees,
• empowering employees and giving them authority where appropriate,
• providing opportunities for self-development.

Such an environment improves morale, loyalty and productivity.

Values and ethics are important in professional life because they guide behaviour at work and help a person act responsibly and respectfully.

• Values are beliefs about what is desirable or good, such as service, social justice, dignity and worth of all persons, human relationships and integrity.
• Ethics are rules or standards that govern conduct in a profession.

Their role in professional life is to:

• help reduce waste of time and money,
• increase employee morale, confidence and productivity,
• encourage respect among colleagues,
• support dignity of labour,
• ensure that work is done honestly and responsibly.

Thus, values and ethics improve both personal conduct and the quality of workplace life.