Women Welfare and Economic Wellbeing - Myth and Realities of Societal Responsibility in Bidi Industry

Posted: 28 Oct 2009

See all articles by Hemanalini R.

Hemanalini R.

Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) - Business School

Sathishkumar K. R.

Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) - Business School

M. Sugunambal

Karpagam University - Department of Management Studies

Date Written: October 28, 2009

Abstract

This paper provides an insight of the societal commitment by bidi industry towards poor women folks. Ever since the introduction of tobacco cultivation in India, a sizeable segment of labor force is engaged in production of bidi (a handmade cigarette). It employs about 45 lakh workers out of which 90 percent are home based workers. The Indian market of smoking tobacco is dominated by bidis, which outsell cigarettes by 10:1 ratio and its growing. Hence the bidi industries are flooded with opportunities to grow, inspite of a section of global community fighting against tobacco usage. In this context, bidi industry dwells in the shadow of current global business practices. Essentially for a highly populated country like India with its vast diversification in demographic and economic factors the industries are focused towards social responsibility.

Woman being the threshold of a family, bidi industry is found to provide home based bidi rolling jobs to the poor women in rural India which helps the industry and the workers mutually. The bidi industries are reportedly changing its stride from exploitive to responsive. In employing women as workers, the bidi industry has tremendous advantage in proving its social commitment by contributing to the women welfare and their economic wellbeing. The industry has initiated various women welfare schemes focusing towards its social responsibility.

The study is undertaken in the interior regions of Tirunelvelli and Vellore districts of Tamilnadu, India to have an indepth understanding of the myths and the realities that is prevailing in the bidi industry’s societal commitment activities. The study also throws light on women welfare and economic wellbeing activities. In this millennium, in spite of the advancement of communication and technology, there are still a few unorganized sector in which the poor and the downtrodden, especially the poor, rural women live in a lunch. It is understood that the women bidi workers collectively earn an enviable few thousand crores turnover for the business owners, but yet individual live in extreme poverty, where the analysis thereby depicts the societal commitment of the bidi industry in raising women bidi workers income and socio-economic status.

Keywords: Women Welfare, economic wellbeing, Societal responsiblity, social, bidi industry

JEL Classification: M14, L66

Suggested Citation

R, Hemanalini and K. R., Sathishkumar and Sugunambal, M., Women Welfare and Economic Wellbeing - Myth and Realities of Societal Responsibility in Bidi Industry (October 28, 2009). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1495549

Hemanalini R (Contact Author)

Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) - Business School ( email )

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
India
+91-9842280007 (Phone)
+91-422-266406 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.kct.ac.in

Sathishkumar K. R.

Kumaraguru College of Technology (KCT) - Business School ( email )

Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
India
+91-9842220060 (Phone)
+91-422-2669406 (Fax)

HOME PAGE: http://www.kct.ac.in

M. Sugunambal

Karpagam University - Department of Management Studies

Coimbatore 641021
India

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