By Manisha Jain (WOMENSENEWS) : Female workers are widespread in the low-paying jobs in India's $40 billion business process outsourcing industry. Workplace hazards, ranging from stress-induced ailments to social lives shattered by the quest for shut-eye, are also common.New Delhi -- It is 3
a.m. The man operating a food cart outside a brightly lit business process outsourcing office complex here is busy flipping hot omelets on his skillet and beating eggs. His customers, over a dozen between 19 and 35 years old, stand around his cart, some waiting and some eating. Bleary eyed, they chat about their work, the latest movies, fashion. Dim bulbs light up the small wooden tables where they sit and eat. Moonlight adds to the light falling on their plates. For workers like these, who keep the call center hubs humming, lunch at 8 p.m. and dinner at 3 a.m. is normal. They sleep when the rest of the city is out and about The business process outsourcing industry, including information technology, has provided direct employment to 2.2 million and indirect employment to eight million in the country, according to a report released last year by NASSCOM, a trade body and the chamber of commerce of the IT-business process outsourcing industries in India. Women are about one quarter of this work force. However, they are widespread in the lower-paying echelons of this $40 billion industry, where many answer telephone calls from customers or key in data entries. The 15-year old sector is sometimes credited with providing young women a chance to earn money and develop skills. But there are plenty of drawbacks. Read Full : India's Call Center Workers Rack Up Complaints | Womens eNews
