Apple Supplier Foxconn Excludes Married Women From Jobs At iPhone Plant In Tamil Nadu: Report

Apple’s supplier Foxconn has been alleged of following discriminatory hiring practices and excluding married women from jobs at its iPhone assembly facility in Tamil Nadu’s Sriperumbudur. 

Foxconn excludes married women from jobs on the grounds that they have more family responsibilities compared to unmarried counterparts, news agency Reuters reported.

The publication said it spoke to over a dozen employees from Foxconn’s hiring agencies in the country as well as four current and former executives from the human resources department of the company. All of them confirmed the discriminatory hiring practices.

Corroborating these claims, S Paul, a former human resources executive at Foxconn India, alleged that the company’s management verbally instructs hiring agencies to avoid recruiting married women, the report said.

According to Paul, who left Foxconn in August last year, Foxconn generally refrains from hiring married women due to perceived ‘cultural issues’ and societal pressures. 

He highlighted concerns within the company about post marriage challenges, particularly related to family responsibilities such as childcare. 

According to Paul, Foxconn believes that hiring married women poses increased risks to operations.

Paul’s account was corroborated by 17 employees from more than a dozen Foxconn hiring agencies in India, and four current and former Foxconn human resources executives. Twelve of these sources spoke on condition of anonymity to Reuters.

Three former Foxconn HR executives told Reuters that the Taiwan-headquartered manufacturer relaxes the practice of not hiring married women during high-production periods when it sometimes faces labour shortages. In some cases, hiring agencies help female candidates conceal their marital status to secure jobs, the publication found.

Between January 2023 and May 2024, Reuters made more than 20 trips to Sriperumbudur and spoke to dozens of jobseekers about the hiring process. Reporters also reviewed a candidate information pamphlet, dozens of job ads and records of WhatsApp discussions in which four of Foxconn’s third-party recruiters stated to prospective candidates that only unmarried women were eligible for assembly jobs. The ads make no mention of the hiring of men.

Responding to Inc42’s queries, Foxconn refuted allegations of any employment discrimination based on marital status, gender, religion or any other form.

“Foxconn’s priority is the well-being of our employees around the world. We hire workers of all backgrounds, genders, races and marital statuses, and we do not stand for discrimination in hiring or recruitment,” the company said.

The development comes at a time when Apple supplier and Foxconn subsidiary Rayprus Technologies is looking to venture into the Indian market with a facility in Bengaluru.

The Taiwan-based company, responsible for assembling approximately 70% of iPhones and holding the title of the world’s largest contract manufacturer, is strategically shifting its production away from China due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 and geopolitical tensions. Over the past year, Foxconn has significantly expanded its footprint in India, making substantial investments in manufacturing facilities in the southern part of the country.