In the last few years, courts across India have held in various judgments that maternity leave and its consequential benefits should be extended to contractual employees.
Data shows that while 45% of India's graduates are women, just about 10% of educated women in the country pursue long-term careers. Data from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that the employability gender gap in India is 50.9%, with only 19.2% of women in the labour force compared to 70.1% of men. A significant number of women, particularly in contractual jobs, leave the workforce, often never to rejoin, because they don't get maternity leave. Around 70-80% of caregiving responsibilities in India are shouldered by women, while the male participation rate in the workforce stands at 80%.