A recent Reuters investigation has raised troubling questions about Foxconn’s hiring practices at its iPhone assembly plant in India. The report alleges that Foxconn systematically excludes married women from its workforce.
According to the investigation, Foxconn verbally instructs recruitment agencies to avoid hiring married women. Reported reasons for this discrimination include ‘cultural issues’ and concerns that marriage might lead to women having children, creating an increased ‘risk factor’ for the company. Anonymous sources also mentioned anxieties about married women wearing jewellery that could disrupt production.
However, these restrictions appear to be relaxed during periods of labour shortage, allowing married women to be hired. In some cases, women reportedly felt compelled to hide their marital status to secure employment.
The investigation focused on practices at the Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai, documented between 2023 and 2024. Both Apple and Foxconn India have denied the allegations. Apple claims its Indian suppliers, including Foxconn, do hire married women. Foxconn India, on the other hand, maintains that around 25 percent of their latest female hires are married.
The news comes amidst Foxconn’s plans to reduce its workforce due to slowing revenue growth and rising labour costs in China. While a specific timeline or target for workforce reduction was not provided, a company representative acknowledged that labour costs have more than doubled since 2010, following negative media attention surrounding worker suicides at the company’s facilities.
