Empowered women show the way in UP

Uttar Pradesh has long been a canvas of contrasts. On the one hand the biggest political and social movements and reforms originated here, churning out women of substance who led India's freedom struggle and fight against patriarchy and misogyny, but on the other hand women of UP had to suffer subjugation and second-class treatment due to the capitulation of our political system before a vote bank.

- SHEHZAD POONAWALA

One stark reality that cast a long shadow over women in UP was a blanket ban on night shifts that confined them to the daylight hours, symbolizing not just legal hurdles but a deeper societal cage. Before 2017, under the ironclad grip of Section 66(1)(b) of the Factories Act, 1948, no woman could step into a factory after 7 p.m., regardless of her willingness or the safeguards in place. This nationwide edict, born from post-independence protective intent, morphed into a barrier, stifling women's economic mobility in a state where industries in Noida, Kanpur and Lucknow churned through the night. Women, eager for better wages and flexible hours, found themselves sidelined, their ambitions dimmed by dusk.

This was Uttar Pradesh before Yogi Adityanath assumed the mantle of Chief Minister in 2017 - a state where female labour force participation languished at a mere 14.7 per cent in 2011-12, far below the national average, according to National Sample Survey Office data. The narrative was one of limitation: women could not venture out after 5 p.m. without risking their safety.

Fast-forward to 12 November 2025, and the landscape has flipped. The Uttar Pradesh Factories Amendment Act by the Yogi government, has shattered the ban. Women can now work night shifts from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. across all factories, including the 29 categories that were once off-limits. But this is not a thoughtless leap - it is calculated empowerment, anchored in consent, doubled wages and ironclad safety. Explicit written consent is mandatory, registered with the state labour department, ensuring there is no coercion.