Recommendations to boost women’s participation in Kerala PSC, new age limit suggested

Thiruvananthapuram: In an effort to increase women's participation in government jobs, the Kerala Women's Commission has proposed increasing the upper age limit for Kerala Public Service Commission (PSC) appointments to 45 years. These recommendations were submitted to the Kerala State Labour Department after a thorough study of women's employment in both government and private sectors.

The commission urged the Personnel & Administrative Reforms Development (PARD) to intervene and create more opportunities for women in the government sector. The appeal comes in the light of various factors such as marriage and family care, which often hinder women's further education and employment prospects. 

One of the key proposals is to allow women to work from home for at least one year during pregnancy and after maternity leave. The commission also recommended that private sector jobs ensure at least 80 percent of public sector wages and called for a distribution of 30 percent of profits by private small enterprises for worker welfare. 

The Kerala Women's Commission also suggested several other measures to further enhance women's opportunities, including:

• Tax cuts to encourage more women to remain in the workforce
• Cheaper travel options for women
• Reforms in educational curriculums to focus on vocational skills, language proficiency, and computer literacy for SSLC, Plus Two, undergraduate, and postgraduate students
• Introduction of uniform norms for increment and leave rules
• Vocational courses and extra credit for girls involved in part-time jobs and internships.