Passage 1

Indian states prohibit women from many factory processes. India's ten most populous states collectively impose 139 prohibitions on women from participating in specific factory processes. Governments impose these prohibitions given the dangerous nature of the processes. However, inter-state comparison and scientific literature indicate that these prohibitions are enforced without evidence of special health risks to women workers. For example, some states allow women to participate in abrasive blasting (used to clean metal surfaces), but others prohibit women from participating in the same process. Similarly, women are prohibited from participating in any process to manufacture lead or its compounds. However, scientific literature indicates that lead is not likely to pose special health risks to women. These prohibitions exclude women from high-paying jobs, making the prohibitions counterproductive.

The primary purpose of the passage is to:

(a) Highlight the economic benefits that would accrue if more women were employed in high-paying factory jobs.

(b) Indian states must abolish prohibitions on women in factory processes to ensure gender equality in employment.

(c) Implement the results of scientific literature that overwhelmingly supports the view that most factory processes pose no greater health risk to women than to men.

(d) Critically examine the evidentiary basis and consistency of state-imposed prohibitions on women in specific factory processes in India and suggest their negative impact.