Frameworks and

UNIT 1 FRAMEWORKS AND APPROACHES Approaches

Saumya Uma

Structure

1.1 Introduction
1.2 Objectives
1.3 Meaning and Importance of Social Protection
1.4 Historical Development of Social Protection in India
1.5 Providers of Social Protection
1.6 Types of Social Protection Programmes
1.7 Approaches to Social Protection
1.8 Overview of Policies and Programmes
1.9 Gender Concerns in Social Protection
1.10 Let Us Sum Up
1.11 Unit End Questions
1.12 References
1.13 Suggested Readings

1.1 INTRODUCTION
The term ‘social protection’ and the debates and discussions around it have
gained momentum since the mid-1990s. Internationally, social protection
gained greater attention after the Asian financial crisis, which resulted in
huge job losses, and it became clear that globalization and its economic
and financial repercussions have adverse consequences for certain vulnerable
and marginalized groups and sectors. The context in India has been set, on
the one hand, by changes in the macro policy framework and internal
pressures for labour market reform, and on the other by continuing high
levels of poverty and vulnerability (Sudharshan, 2009).

Let us read the objectives of this Unit.

1.2 OBJECTIVES
The objectives of reading this Unit are to:

• Comprehend the concept and meaning of social protection;

• Discuss the importance of social protection and the role of the State
in providing the same;

• Highlight and discuss the gender concerns in social protection;

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Legislation, Social • Explain various frameworks and approaches to social protection in
Protection and Policy
general, and more particularly in the Indian context; and

• Describe contents of social protection programmes in India

1.3 MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL

PROTECTION
Social protection refers to the public actions taken in response to levels of
vulnerability, risk and deprivation which are deemed socially unacceptable
within a given polity or society (Norton, Conway and Foster 2001). It,
therefore, deals with both the absolute deprivation and vulnerabilities of
the poorest, and also with the need of the currently non-poor for security
in the face of shocks and life-cycle events. It is an integral component of
any strategic, effort to reduce the incidence and severity of poverty.

Naila Kabeer (2008) writes, social protection is a relatively new policy

approach that aims to integrate concerns about social security and poverty
reduction into a unified conceptual and policy framework in response to a
perceived increase in the vulnerability of populations across the world.
According to another definition, social protection “includes interventions
and initiatives that support individuals, households, and communities in
their efforts to prevent, mitigate, and overcome risks and vulnerabilities,
and that enhance the social status and rights of the marginalized”(Avato,
koettl and Wheeler, 2009, p.456).

Social protection is also understood to consist of a set of benefits available

or not available from the state, market, civil society and households, or
through a combination of these agencies, to the individual/households to
reduce multi-dimensional deprivation. This multi-dimensional deprivation
could be affecting less active poor persons (e.g. the elderly or the disabled)
and active poor persons (e.g. unemployed). As opposed to social security,
which is more applicable in conditions where a large number of citizens
depend on the formal economy for their livelihood, social protection is a
more relevant concept in developing countries where a significant portion
of people earn their livelihood through the informal economy.

Box No. 1

The common element in these and many other definitions of social

protection is the strong focus on poverty and vulnerability to risks.

While social protection is an important tool to reduce vulnerability to risks,

it is important to remember that the ‘risks’ consist of both economic and
social risks. Economic risks include shocks and poverty of an economic
nature, such as retirement, resignation, retrenchment, maternity, old age,
unemployment, death, disablement and other similar conditions faced by
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the working class. In addition, social risks and vulnerabilities, such as gender Frameworks and
Approaches
inequality, social discrimination and exclusion, unequal distribution of
resources and power within the household, and a limited exercise of
citizenship rights, also play an important role in the policy agenda of most
countries in order to enhance the effectiveness of social protection
programmes. Rebecca Holmes and Nicole Jones (2009,p.2) argues that till
date, social protection has largely dealt with economic risks while social
risks have been largely absent from the debates on social protection. Such
experts have emphasized the fact that both economic and social risks are
deeply intertwined and have significant implications for reducing poverty
and vulnerability.

After understanding the meaning of social protection, let us now discuss

why social protection is important for working class especially women
workers.

Importance of Social Protection

Social protection is an increasingly important approach to reduce vulnerability

and chronic poverty, especially in contexts of crisis. According to Munro,
(2008) Social protection policies are often justified on the basis of three
different discourses:

• The risks and market failures discourse provides reasons of failures in

insurance markets often due to informational issues, along with the
failures in credit, human capital and labour markets to justify provision
of social protection.

• The rights-based discourse advocates for social protection to fulfil the

obligations to grant legally enforceable social and economic rights to
its citizens on the part of the state.

• The needs-based discourse on the other hand invokes practical and

moral arguments in favour of reducing and alleviating chronic poverty,
and promotes employing social protection measures in achieving that.

Box No. 2

The role and purpose of social protection therefore varies according

to the discourse. It may be to reduce social risk and market failures,
satisfaction of basic needs, or contribute to human development.
(Priyadarshee, 2011)

Social protection is also important as it may not be possible to

comprehensively or adequately address the structural causes of poverty
within the prevalent political and economic environment of many low-
income countries. Unequal distribution of factors of production, mainly land
and capital, are important structural causes of poverty. Such unequal
distribution results in the poor facing a limited supply of the factors of
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Legislation, Social production, making it very difficult for them to participate in the process
Protection and Policy
of economic growth. The poor are also unable to adequately access the
health and educational infrastructure due to their lack of resources. Social
exclusion and discrimination aggravate the situation. Hence, the absence of
social protection measures and safety nets for the poor and vulnerable
perpetuates poverty among them. Given the present political and economic
environment, it is not easy to correct the unequal distribution of resources.
By logic, social protection measures become an important tool for reducing
the severity of poverty to a large extent.

According to Norton, Conway and Foster (2001) social protection is argued

to be necessary in order to:

• develop social support for reform programmes;

• promote social justice and equity and make growth more efficient and
equitable;

• provide policy-led support to those outside the labour market with

insufficient assets to achieve a secure livelihood;

• provide protection for all citizens against risk including financial crises;

• ensure basic acceptable livelihood standards for all;

• facilitate investment in human capital for poor households and

communities;

• enable people to take economic risks to pursue livelihoods;

• promote social cohesion and social solidarity (social stability);

• compensate for declining effectiveness of traditional and informal

systems for enhancing livelihood security; and

• ensure continuity of access for all to the basic services necessary for
developing human capital and meeting basic needs.

In the following section you will read who provides social protection to poor
and vulnerable sections of society.

1.4 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL

PROTECTION IN INDIA
In traditional Indian society, parental responsibility as a value of joint
family system was of paramount importance in protecting all family members.
In their work, authors have referred to many social mechanisms developed
to protect the people from adversities and provide decent livelihoods to
persons. State was also actively involved in securing the lives and livelihoods
of its citizens in the ancient India as indicated in ‘Arthashastra’, Chanakya’s
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treatise on finance, politics and public administration written in the fourth Frameworks and
Approaches
century B.C. Chanakya’s proposed ideas on public welfare such as, the king
was required to maintain social order, promote economic activities, protect
weaker sections of the society, prevent their harassment, protect the
consumers, take care of aged people, children and women, as well as
slaves and prisoners. The Arthashastra also contains extensive famine relief
measures, such as public distribution of food grains and seeds at concessional
rates, initiating public works and providing food as wages.

Bhattacharya(1970) writes that Shukraneetees, Shukracharya’s treatise on

justice, written in the eighth century A.D., discusses systems of social
protection, including old age, sick and maintenance allowance to helpers
(servants), and allowance to families of servants for their premature deaths.
Very little information is available about the State’s role towards general
welfare of the people during mediaeval periods. Such role is found
increasingly performed by the religious organisations, charities, trusts, caste
associations and the village communities during Mughal rule and post-Mughal
period.(Kannan and Pillai, 2007)

During the colonial period, the government initiated famine relief measures
that were successful in reducing mortality and frequency of famines. As a
result, no major famine was encountered between 1902 and 1943 in the
country. The last major famine that affected Bengal also encouraged the
government to control the trade in food grains and expand the urban public
distribution system. During the struggles for independence, reduction of
large-scale poverty and inequality was an objective, within the overarching
aim of achieving independence.

The government of newly-independent India initiated several social protection

programmes, which were further scaled up. New programmes were initiated
in the late 1960s and early 1970s in response to various natural calamities,
droughts and food shortages during that period. In the latter half of 1990s,
when it was realized that the gains from economic reforms and increased
globalisation of Indian economy were largely bypassing a major section of
the society, social protection policy was again brought to the fore. The
design and implementation of social protection programmes is also strongly
associated with the decentralisation of government through the creation of
panchayati raj (village government) institutions 1993. Subsequent to the
2004 general elections, the new Central Government decided to work towards
a ‘growth with a human face’, strengthening and enhancing various social
protection programmes and launching new programmes such as the National
Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP).

In the following section you will read who provides social protection to the
poor and marginalised people.

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Legislation, Social
Protection and Policy 1.5 PROVIDERS OF SOCIAL PROTECTION
Traditionally, the State is the provider of last resort. It may take on a
limited responsibility, such as offering protection at the time of contingency
or assume broader responsibilities, including direct and indirect action on
poverty by way of providing aid and benefits. The concept of a welfare
state, such as in India, usually incorporates some form of social security as
a constitutionally-protected right and an inalienable component of citizenship
and a prescription to the State to redistribute wealth and help those in
need. However, welfare states vary greatly in the extent of responsibility
they assume for social protection. For example, the United States of America
takes responsibility for general welfare in a targeted manner only when the
market and/or family fails, limiting its scope to marginal and deserving
social groups. In contrast, the European Welfare State assumes responsibility
for a broader spectrum of social services and plays a highly organized role
in distributing these services as entitlements to all its citizens.(Linda Low,
2003, p.30)

But, in the present context of economic globalization, decentralization,

deregulation and privatization, there has been a gradual withdrawal of the
welfare state. Governments and corporations have prioritized budgets, taxes
and profits, focussing less on social protection and social expenditure. The
impact of this is felt particularly by vulnerable groups such as women,
children, the elderly and migrant workers. The poor suffer hunger and
malnutrition, homelessness, humiliation from unemployment, sometimes
leading to even suicide. Children are deprived of education and forced into
child labour, crime, prostitution and trafficking. Migrant workers, without
any social security and welfare protection in the best of times both at home
or abroad, face exploitation and deportation. The framework of social
protection is thus, capable of holding the state responsible to provide for
the poorest sections by regulating both state and non-state agencies.

In developing countries, the state’s capacity to reach out to the vast majority
of the underprivileged population may be limited because of its limited
resources. Evidence suggests that the poorest households in poor countries
scarcely ever benefit from direct state support, relying instead on transfers
from a range of non-state sources (kin, community, religious organisations
etc). In such a context, multiple agencies that could provide for social
protection, include governmental and non-governmental sources, market,
civil society and households. Social protection can also be carried out
informally through community or inter- and intra-household support
networks.

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 Frameworks and
Approaches

Fig.1.1: Providers of Social Protection

It is time for you to assess your understanding of the text read in this unit
till now.

Check Your Progress:

1) What is meant by social protection?

2) What kind of risks do social protection programmes seek to reduce

or address?

3) Why is social protection important?

4) Who provides social protection?

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Legislation, Social Let us now read about different types of socal protection programmes that
Protection and Policy
have been instituted to provide relief to socially and economically vulnerable
people in society.

1.6 TYPES OF SOCIAL PROTECTION PROGRAMMES

According to Barrientos and Hulme (2008,pp.1-18), most social protection
programmes consist of one or more of the three broad sets of policy and
action:

• social assistance - These programmes are designed to support poor

households by transferring resources to the groups that are deemed
eligible due to deprivation. Such programmes cover non-contributory,
tax-financed benefits, in cash or kind. While this is sometimes universal,
it is usually targeted at certain categories of people identified as
vulnerable. Social assistance may also be used as a means to other
social policy ends. The provision of free school meals, for example,
may be used to encourage poor families to keep their children (and
especially girls) in education and to discourage child labour.

• Insurance programmes – These aim to provide protection against

contingencies such as unemployment, maternity, sickness or old age. It
can be in the form of social insurance, crop insurance and health
insurance. Crop insurance is for those who have agro-based livelihoods
and may play the same function as social insurance does for waged
labour, by guaranteeing a minimum income. Health insurance has the
potential for immense benefit, to address the issue of unexpected
medical expenses.

• Residual category – Consists of labour market regulations, which

facilitate fuller and more rewarding employment. These regulations
enforce minimum wages for work, labour exchanges, prudent labour
standards and basic standards for working conditions. State intervention
to support the prices of the goods produced by the poor or the
commodities they require for subsistence (e.g. food staples) that can
smoothen income and consumption respectively are examples of residual
category of soc protection. Microfinance services also contribute to
social protection by encouraging the poor to save and to access loans
that can be used to invest in an income-generating activity. Employment
support in the form of public works is widely used in this category of
social protection.

The following diagram (figure 2) shows contents and inter play of different
types of social protection programmes.

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 Frameworks and
Approaches
Tax-financed
benefits, in
cash or kind

Labour market
regulations, support
prices of goods,
microfinance,
employment support

Social insur-
ance, health
insurance, crop
insurance etc.

Fig. 1.2: Contents of Social Protection Programmes

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO,1997), social

protection is conceived as having four components:

1) social security systems (statutory employer-related benefits);

2) universal social benefit systems (benefits for all);

3) social assistance systems (poverty alleviation in cash and in kind for all
in special need) and

4) private benefit systems (employer-related or individual benefits). Social

security protects members of society through public measures against
economic and social distress, the provision of medical care and the
provision of subsidies to families with children. Social security includes
social insurance, social assistance, benefits financed from general
reserves of a country, family benefits, provident funds and employer
provisions, notably workers’ compensation and other complementary
programmes. A social safety net ensures that each member of society
facing destitution is provided with the minimum level of cash income,
health and social services needed to lead a socially meaningful life
(ILO, 1997).

The contents of social protection policies and programmes in India are

discussed in the section following the discussion on approaches to social
protection.

1.7 APPROACHES TO SOCIAL PROTECTION

Devereux Sabates and Wheeler (2004) have discussed four major approaches
to social protection:

Protective: providing relief from deprivation, such as through disability

benefits, non-contributory pensions or other social assistance programmes
307
Legislation, Social for the chronically poor. Protective measures are narrowly targeted safety
Protection and Policy
nets for income and consumption, intended at smoothing in periods of crisis
or stress. Protective measures become easier to implement once promotional
aspects become successful.

Preventive: this approach seeks to avert/avoid deprivation, through measures

including savings clubs, social insurance such as pensions and maternity
benefits.

Promotional: such measures aim to enhance real incomes and capabilities,

and provide opportunities for persons to come out of poverty. Promotional
aspects are more ambitious as they seek to eradicate the problem of
poverty that has existed for many centuries.

Transformative: such an approach seeks to address concerns of social

equity and exclusion through social empowerment. Transformative measures
include enacting anti-discrimination laws, sensitisation campaigns,
collective action for workers’ rights. Interestingly, this approach extends
social protection to areas such as equity, empowerment and economic,
social and cultural rights, rather than confining the scope of social protection
to targeted income. Transformative interventions include modifications to
the regulatory framework to protect ‘socially vulnerable groups’ (such as
people with disabilities or victims of domestic violence)against discrimination.

It is important to tell you that the objectives, impact and approaches to

social protection, as highlighted above, may overlap and co-exist in any
given policy.

1.8 OVERVIEW OF POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES

In the context of India, the Constitution, through the Directive Principles
of State Policy, attributes responsibility on the State to provide social
security to citizens of the country. Provisions related to social protection
include Articles 38 (securing a social order for the promotion of welfare of
the people), 39 (certain principles of policy), 41 (right to work, education
and public assistance in certain cases), 42 (just and human conditions of
work and maternity relief) and 43 (living wage etc.). These are discussed
more elaborately in the Unit 2 of this Block. In addition, the Concurrent List
of the Constitution of India (which lays out responsibilities of state and
central governments) mentions issues such as:

• Social Security and insurance, employment and unemployment.

• Welfare of Labour including conditions of work, provident funds,

employers’ liability, workmen’s compensation, invalidity and old age
pension and maternity benefits.
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ILO Convention on Social Security also contains standards that now apply to Frameworks and
Approaches
India subsequent to India’s ratification of the same in 1964.

Box No. 3

A two-pronged approach was taken in implementing the Constitutional

mandate, through the provision of ‘social security’ and ‘social welfare’.
Social security was designed for workers employed on a regular basis in
the organised sector, and included an employees’ insurance scheme and
a provident fund scheme. Social welfare was implemented through a
series of measures to assist and empower the women, children, youth,
family, Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), other ‘backward’
classes, the physically challenged and others.

While the social protection policy in India was originally designed based
on a welfare approach, it gradually transformed into a development-
oriented and then an empowerment approach.

Social protection programmes in India can be classified into four broad

categories such as:

• improving living standards of the poor (programmatic framework);

• targeted social security programmes for the very poor;

• social security measures for unorganized/informal sector workers; and

• social security measures for organized/formal sector workers.

Table 2 appended at the end of the unit indicates some schemes set up
under each category.

The contents of following Box will give you the summary of what you have
read in this unit.

Box No. 3

Learning Points

• Social protection refers to the public actions taken in response to

levels of vulnerability, risk and deprivation which are deemed socially
unacceptable within a given society.

• It is an integral component of any strategic effort to reduce the

incidence and severity of poverty.

• Three discourses explain the reasons why social protection is

important: the market failure discourse, the rights-based discourse
and the needs-based discourse.

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Legislation, Social
Protection and Policy • Social protection is provided by the State as well as a range of non-
state sources, such as family, community, religious organizations,
civil society groups and other non-governmental sources.

• Most social protection programmes consist of one or more of the

three broad sets of policy and action: social assistance, insurance
programmes and a residual category that includes labour market
regulations, micro finance services and employment support.

• There are four major approaches to social protection: protective,

preventive, promotional and transformative.

• Women and girls face different constraints that limit their

opportunities for growth. These could be gender-specific, gender-
intensified or gender-imposed. Hence, it is important to integrate
gender concerns within the designing and implementation of social
protection laws, policies, programmes and schemes, through gender-
mainstreaming and gender-specific actions.

• Social protection in India can be traced to the 5th century BC.

Ancient Indian treatises such as Arthashastra and Sukraneeti contain
elaborate instructions to the rulers on the issue of social protection
of their people. The practice continued during the medieval, Mughal,
post-Mughal, colonial and post-independence periods in different
forms.

• In the last decade, the government focussed on ‘growth with a

human face’, strengthening and enhancing various social protection
programmes and launching new programmes and schemes.

• In recent years, there has been a shift from the welfare-oriented

approach to a rights-based approach, with the enactment of laws
such as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), the
Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act 2008, the Right to Education
Act and The Food Security Act.

The recent initiatives towards social protection in India thus need to

be viewed in the context of rising inequality due to economic reforms,
persistent poverty in spite of the reforms, and the consequent political
compulsion to provide additional policy spaces to those left out of the
growth processes.

Before you move to the next section of this unit, assess your critical
understanding of this unit by taking up the following exercise.

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 Frameworks and
Check Your Progress: Approaches

1) In the post-independent era, which document/s vest the Indian

State with the responsibility to provide social protection to its
people?

2) Name the four broad categories into which social protection

programmes in India can be classified.

In the last section of this unit we will read about gender concerns in social
protection.

1.9 GENDER CONCERNS IN SOCIAL PROTECTION

Till recently, the social protection agenda has been presented in terms of
categories of vulnerable social groups, differentiated according to age,
health status and relationship to formal labour markets. The emphasis on
formal labour markets inadvertently excluded many women and women’s
experiences out of the discourse on social protection. Thakur, Arnold and
Johnson (2009) point out that Gender is rarely used as a differentiating
lens through which to understand poor people’s exposure to risk and
vulnerability and to design social protection measures accordingly. However,
social protection programmes are rarely gender neutral, and poorly designed
programme can aggravate the existing inequalities.

Women and men face different constraints and barriers thus limiting
opportunities for women and girls in a more severe manner. In the opinion
of Kabeer(2008), these constraints can be:
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Legislation, Social • gender-specific i.e. societal norms and practices that apply to women
Protection and Policy
or men by virtue of their gender;

• gender-intensified i.e. inequalities between household members

reflecting norms and customs on the distribution of food, health care,
access to property, etc.; or

• gender-imposed i.e. forms of gender disadvantage that reflect

discrimination in the wider public domain.

It is important to remember that due to these constraints, girls and women

are disproportionately represented among the ‘extreme poor’ in many parts
of the world. Gender related constraints not only limit women’s access to
the labour market, but also often confine working women to more poorly
remunerated, more casual and more insecure forms of waged and self-
employment, particularly in the informal economy, without access to social
protection. Moreover, women are particularly affected by sexual and gender-
based violence, pervasive poverty and physical insecurity.

Women’s opportunities are often curbed by their primary responsibility for

childcare and domestic work, cultural restrictions on their public mobility
in some regions of the world, and the gender stereotyping and segmentation
of employment opportunities. Girls are more likely than boys to be excluded
from formal education for domestic chores and home-based work. Early
marriage and childbearing may further restrict girls’ access to education,
skills development and opportunities. For these and many other reasons,
women and girls face higher levels of vulnerability. Hence, their experiences
and the constraints they face are different from that faced by boys and
men in any given society. Therefore, a gendered approach to social protection
becomes essential.

Two simultaneous approaches are advocated by European Commission (2008)

for achieving gender equality in different sectors:

• Gender mainstreaming - the integration of a gender perspective into

every stage of the policy process – design, implementation, monitoring
and evaluation - with the aim of promoting equality between women
and men. Gender mainstreaming is not concerned only with women,
but with the relationship between women and men for the benefit of
both.

• Gender-specific actions – these are required in addition to transform

the inequalities between women and men that have been identified
through gender analysis and mainstreaming.

Social protection policies too warrant gender mainstreaming as well as

gender-specific actions. Table 1 (appended at the end of this unit) lists
out various instruments of social protection presently in use, the manner
in which these seek to address gender-related risks, and also a gendered
impact of the same.
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Luttrell and Moser (2004) have emphasized the need for social protection Frameworks and
Approaches
measures to be designed to respond to different gender-specific categories
of risk, which include:

• Health risks (e.g. infant mortality, disease);

• Life cycle risks (e.g. childbearing, divorce, widowhood);

• Household economic risks (e.g. increased expenditure for social

obligations such as marriage and funerals); and

• Social risks (e.g. exclusion, domestic violence, crime).

In addressing gender inequalities in designing social protection programmes,

Holmes and Jones (2009) suggested to consider the following important
factors:

• Public works with gender perspective –Public works programmes (such

as under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) are frequently
based on the use of physical manual labour to build rural and/or urban
infrastructure. Whiles both men and women are able to do physical
manual labour, women face certain challenges, especially before, during
and after childbirth. Provision of childcare or community-based
healthcare within the programme could potentially be important to
overcome such constraints.

• Targeting individuals: Targeting the household as a unit can aggravate

existing inequalities within the household. Individual entitlements can
enable women to be recognised as right holders and to claim their
rights as individuals rather than entitlement to household heads.

• Protection from violence: Domestic violence is a reality for many

women around the world, and is often aggravated in times of economic
hardship (Weinstein, 2008). Furthermore, marginalised groups are often
more susceptible to other forms of violence, exploitation and abuse
such as trafficking, early marriage and sexual exploitation. Social
protection programming needs to recognise these social risks and to it
is important assess how social protection programmes affect them.

• Improving maternal and infant healthcare: Social protection

interventions can institute and facilitate the utilisation of health services
for women, including pregnant women, and that for children to reduce
maternal and infant mortality.

In the Indian context, the majority of the approximately 260.3 million

people living below the poverty line are women.(Social Watch India Report,
2005) Due to globalisation, women’s labour is increasingly concentrated in
the informal sector as – women have lesser means, education and skills and
fewer productive assets than men. Feminisation of poverty is associated
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Legislation, Social
with a concentration of women in the informal sector and in agriculture,
Protection and Policy
putting them beyond the reach of traditional social security measures. As
per national estimates, women as workers are concentrated in agriculture
(85 % of all women workers) informal work and, in particular, home-based
work (over 50 % of non-agricultural workers). Their lower mobility into new
areas is shaped by various factors, such as household and child care
responsibilities, traditional social norms, and a lack of information and
skills. Public works schemes in India have traditionally concentrated on
roads, forestry, housing, irrigation and soil conservation. Gender biases in
such employment are obvious in the lower wages paid to women, though
these are justified by the fact that women are excluded from physically
more difficult tasks.

Take up the following exercise to assess your understanding of the last few
sections.

Check Your Progress:

1) What do social protection programmes consist of?

2) What are the different approaches to social protection?

3) Why are gender concerns in social protection important?

314
 Frameworks and
4) Name the processes to integrate gender concerns in social protection Approaches
policies

5) Name gender-specific categories of risks.

Thus, in order that social protection programmes address the specific forms
of vulnerability and risks that women and girls face, it is important that
gender concerns are integrated into such programmes, both while designing
and implementing them.

1.10 LET US SUM UP

The concept of social protection is an important one in addressing issues
of chronic poverty and vulnerability to social and economic risks, faced by
underprivileged, marginalized sections of the population. It is of particular
significance to women’s lives, as it seeks to promote socio-economic justice
and equity. There are various gender-related concerns that this Unit has
discussed, which ought to be taken into consideration while designing and
implementing social protection measures.

In India, social protection programmes and measures were prevalent in

ancient, medieval, colonial and post-independence periods. In the last few
decades, such programmes have been expanded. In recent years, we have
witnessed a shift from the welfare-oriented approach to a rights-based
approach, with the enactment of laws such as the National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (NREGA), the Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act 2008,
the Right to Education Act and The Food Security Act. 315
Legislation, Social
Protection and Policy 1.11 UNIT END QUESTIONS
1) Discuss the meaning and relevance of social protection in Indian context.

2) Does India have a history of social protection? Discuss it in different

periods of Indian history.

3) Explain various approaches to social protection in context of gender

concerns.

4) Explain the need to expand and strengthen social protection programme

in later half of 1990’s.

1.12 REFERENCES
Avato, J., Koettl, J. and Sabates-Wheeler, R. (2009). Social Security Regimes,
Global Estimates, and Good Practices: The status of social protection for
international migrants’ World Development, 38 (4), 455–466.

Barrientos, A. and Hulme, D. (2008). Social Protection for the Poor and the
Poorest: An introduction. in Barrientos A. and Hulme D. (eds.), Social
protection for the poor and the poorest: Concepts, Policies and Politics.
Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

DFID (2005). Social Transfers and Chronic Poverty: Emerging Evidence and
the Challenge Ahead, A DFID Practice Paper, DFID: London.

European Commission (2008). ‘Manual for Gender Mainstreaming, Social

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Protection and Policy

Legislation, Social
Appendix
Table 1: Social Protection Instruments – Gender-related Risks and Impacts1
Type of instrument/ Gender-related risk Objectives Gender-related impact analysis
policy response

Conditional and • Insufficient and/or unequal allocation of • Promote investments in • Improves survival, nutrition, health and education of
unconditional cash resources and opportunities between boy and children’s health, girl children
transfers for mothers girl children. nutrition and education.
and children (mainly • Promotes and expands women’s livelihood options.
targeted at mothers/ • Child labour, especially boys. • Reduced maternal and
• Increases women’s bargaining power in household
primary carers). infant mortality.
• Female foeticide and child marriage. and community.
• Insufficient nutrition and pre- and post-natal • Can bring excluded women into the circle of citizenship.
care, and risks for working mothers.
• Improves nutrition and health of newborn and mother.

Childcare support for • Children may be left alone in the house or with • Reduce reliance on poor • Improves access to education for girl children.
working mothers. an unreliable carer when mothers go out to care arrangements and
• Expands women’s employment opportunities.
work. likelihood of adverse
effects for children. • Increases women’s participation in public life.
School feeding • Children may not attend school due to • Promote investments in • Better nutrition and uninterrupted education
programmes/after- domestic chores/home-based work (mainly children’s health, promotes employability and productivity of next
school training. girls) and child labour (mainly boys). nutrition, and education. generation of workers.
Secondary school • Double burden of work/ school leads to low • School retention for girls. • Can delay marriage of daughters aged 11-19.
scholarships or productivity, fewer opportunities in adulthood, • Positive impacts for future health and well-being.
additional stipends for more likelihood of entering high-risk
girls. employment (e.g. hazardous industries, • Overcomes parental indifference/reluctance over
prostitution). girls’ education.
1
Source: Sarojini Ganju Thakur, Catherine Arnold and Tina Johnson, ‘Gender and Social Protection’, Discussion Paper 3, Commonwealth Secretariat, London, January 2009 at pp. 6-7
 Employment- • Gender-related inequalities in access to • Cope with threats to • Can help to break inertia of on-going
generating public employment. income and consumption unemployment.
works programmes. flows.
• Loss of employment/ employment insecurity • Creates infrastructure that may enable women’s
because of pregnancy or time taken out for mobility or reduce workloads.
childcare.
Social pensions. • Costs of retiring or withdrawing from work in • Meet basic needs of • Can give elderly men and women some bargaining
the absence of any work-related provision for elderly and destitute. power.
retirement.
• Can act as recognition of women’s unpaid work.
• Widow’s loss of assets to late husband’s family;
dependence on good will of children/family • Improves security, dignity, self worth, status,
members. particularly for elderly widows.

• Heavy childcare responsibilities where HIV and

AIDS lead to high numbers of absent middle-
age adults and vulnerable children.

Legislation. • Discrimination (e.g. inheritance, land • Women’s empowerment. • Gives women tools for advancing their status and
ownership). empowerment.

Frameworks and
Approaches
319
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Protection and Policy

Legislation, Social
Table 2: Social Protection Programmes in India: An Overview 1
Category Issue Scheme / Programme

Improving living standards of the poor Education • Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA: Education for All)
(programmatic framework)
• The Right to Education Act
Health • National Rural Health Mission
• Janani Suraksha Yojana a safe motherhood intervention under the NRHM.
Housing • Indira Awas Yojana
Drinking Water and Sanitation • The National Rural Drinking Water Programme
• Total Sanitation Campaign (for access to sanitation in rural areas)
Child Nutrition • The Integrated Child Development Services
• The Mid Day Meal Scheme
Food Security • Targetted Public Distribution System
• Annapurna Scheme
• National Food Security Act.
• Minimum Wages Act, 1948
Livelihood / Conditions of • National Floor Level Minimum Wage (NFLMW)
work
• Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana (financial assistance to members of Below
Poverty Line (BPL) families for creating income generating assets
• Swarna Jayanti Shahari Rozgar Yojana (employment-oriented urban poverty alleviation
scheme)
• Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP)
1
The contents for this Table have been derived from Sudha Pillai, “Social Protection Floor” in India, G20 Social Protection Floor India Brief 20 May 2011, available at http://www.ilo.org/
gimi/gess/RessFileDownload.do;jsessionid=b759dd3691a8de7ff56d69ec019b52c9c62ad6e78c324eeba35943399931f09b.e3aTbhuLbNmSe34TbO0? ressourceId=25718, accessed on 8 March
2012
 Targeted Social Security Programmes Employment Security • The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
for the Very Poor
Pensions • Indira Gandhi National Old Age Pension Scheme
• Indira Gandhi National Widow Pension Scheme
• Indira Gandhi National Disability Pension Scheme
Category Issue Scheme / Programme
Social security measures for unorga- • The Unorganized Workers’ Social Security Act, 2008 (schemes to provide for life and
nized/informal sector workers disability cover, health and maternity benefits, old age protection and any other
benefits)
Health Insurance • Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana
Death and Disability Insurance • Aam Admi Bima Yojana
Welfare Funds • Handloom Weavers’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme
• Handicraft Artisans’ Comprehensive Welfare Scheme: consisting of Rajiv Gandhi Shilpi
Swasthya Bima Yojana and Bima Yojana for Handicrafts Artisans.
• National Scheme for Welfare of Fishermen and Training and Extension
Social Protection Measures for Orga- • The Payment of Gratuity Act, 1927
nized / Formal Sector Workers • The Employees’ Compensation Act, 1923
• The Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
• The Plantation Labour Act, 1951
• Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme 1952
• Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme,1976
• Employees’ Pension Scheme, 1995.
• The Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948
• The Employees Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952
• Rajiv Gandhi Shramik Kalyan Yojana

Frameworks and
Approaches
321