Foxconn Nixes Married Women From India iPhone Jobs

Foxconn has systematically excluded married women from jobs at its main India Apple iPhone assembly plant, citing that they have more family responsibilities than their unmarried counterparts.

Foxconn HR sources cited family duties, pregnancy, and higher absenteeism as reasons for not hiring married women. I Photo: Fang HSIEH Flickr

This practice was reported by Praveen Paramasivam, Munsif Vengattil, and Aditya Kalra for Reuters.

S. Paul, a former human resources executive at Foxconn India, revealed that company executives verbally convey these recruitment rules to its Indian hiring agencies. These agencies are responsible for scouting candidates, bringing them in for interviews, and employing them.

Both Apple's and Foxconn's codes of conduct state that workers shouldn't be discriminated against based on marital status.

However, the agents and Foxconn HR sources cited family duties, pregnancy, and higher absenteeism as reasons for not hiring married women. Jewelry worn by married Hindu women was also mentioned as a potential interference with production.

Foxconn typically does not hire married women due to “cultural issues” and societal pressures, said Paul, who left the company in August 2023 for a better-paying role at a consulting firm.

The company’s view was that there were “many issues post-marriage,” including the likelihood of women having babies.

Paul's account was corroborated by 17 employees from more than 12 Foxconn hiring agencies in India, and four current and former Foxconn human resources executives. Twelve of these sources spoke on condition of anonymity.