Married women are not being offered assembly jobs at Foxconn's flagship smartphone plant in India, according to Reuters. Foxconn is a major manufacturer of Apple products. The codes of conduct for both companies, which expressly forbid discrimination based on marital status, are in conflict with this practice.
Reasons Behind job denial
According to a June 25 Reuters investigative report, Foxconn discriminates against married women by rejecting their job applications on the grounds that they have "greater family responsibilities compared to their unmarried counterparts."
Two sisters from a nearby village in their 20s, Parvathi and Janaki, personally experienced this discrimination. In March 2023, they visited the Foxconn facility in Chennai after coming across job postings on WhatsApp.
A security guard asked them if they were married when they arrived. Parvathi narrated, "We didn't get the jobs because we are both married." According to the report, even the autorickshaw driver who drove them to the facility informed them that married women were not hired.
Foxconn's hiring policy
According to S. Paul, a former HR executive at Foxconn India, the hiring manager at Foxconn orally instructed agencies not to accept applications from married women, thereby corroborating these allegations.
Paul, who departed Foxconn in August 2023, claims that the company thinks married women are more likely to have children and to have family responsibilities, which could result in higher absenteeism.
Multiple sources within Foxconn and its affiliated recruitment agencies attest to this discriminatory policy.
They voiced concerns about traditional jewelry worn by married Hindu women, such as toe rings and metal necklaces, which could present security risks from theft or cause electrostatic discharge during manufacturing, according to Reuters.
Responses from Apple and Foxconn
In response to these accusations, Foxconn and Apple both stated that they had made improvements to their hiring procedures in 2022. But according to the Reuters investigation, these discriminatory practices continued into 2024 and into 2023.
