OCTOBER 20228TAMIL NADU & STARTUPS, A WELCOME STATE FOR WOMEN amil Nadu is the destination for startups as the southern state has the second largest economy among all states with a gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Rs.18,45,853 crore calculated in 2019-20. Tamil Nadu is renowned for being a rapid economic growth state with high levels of social development in recent years. Tamil Nadu is a safe place for women with around 7.08 lakh working in the state, which is nearly half of India's 15.93 lakh working women according to the Annual Survey of Industries. This is three times higher than that of the state of Karnataka which ranks second on the list. The state government of Tamil Nadu has introduced many gender-inclusive policies for augmenting the trend which includes green-lighting night shifts for providing higher training subsidies for women staff. A grant of around Rs.10 crores is placed for the setups of creches and hostels in apparel and ancillary parks. Why Tamil Nadu Is a Destination for Women Employees The state government is drafting a fervent and new policy for offering jobs to 10,000 women that had to quit work due to family responsibilities. The success of such policy interventions is being reaped in equal measures by the services and manufacturing sectors. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of direct women employees in manufacturing particularly in textile and footwear, according to a survey statistic of Guidance Tamil Nadu. Even in the field of engineering, the total number of women in the workforce is increasing at a steady graph. Renowned startups from the state are managed by women for a decade and it at present has more than 150 women workers from all the neighbouring villages. The success model has inspired startups to achieve an average of 35-70 percent of the workforce at factories from manufacturers of wheelers to service providers of Business Process Outsourcing. The percentage of women employees is significantly high in the sector of the auto component maker and Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu is the first in the tire industry to set up an all-women crew for extruder operations. In the services sector, the number of women employed is high and Tamil Nadu has a higher representation of women as compared to several multinational companies. The total number of women employed in the tech giants is increasing at an exponential rate with two-lakh alone in a world-renowned MNC. The main cause of the increase in the women population in the workplace in the state is the various initiatives for supporting women at work including services of babysitting for women at work even during emergencies such as COVID. The increase in the workforce of women in the senior women executives includes 39 percent of the total workforce with a higher representation of women in the business functions. Giant startup leaders entrust that women in STEM are challenging stereotypes. The startups are tapping female executives with virtual hiring enabling the startups to reach out the remote locations which were not included in past years. Strategies by Startups The 100 percent virtual summer internships at the startups of Tamil Nadu are one of the best causes for women's employment. The strategies of wage-based labour retainment of women employees in the managerial stages is the finest strategy implemented by the startups and finding and hiring new employees has increased TEditorial Exclusive
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