Let Me Explain: Women at the heart of Tamil Nadu’s factory economy

Of the 14.9 lakh women working in registered factories across India, 6.3 lakh are in just one state – Tamil Nadu.

It’s one of those statistics that makes you stop.

Nearly half of India’s female factory workforce is concentrated in a single state.

And almost 70 percent of all industrial jobs held by women in India are in the southern states – led by Tamil Nadu, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.

For decades, Tamil Nadu has been celebrated as India’s most industrialised state. Cars, phones, footwear, garments – the state’s factories touch almost every part of our daily lives.

But the real story is about the women who keep this engine running.

TNM hit the ground to see how it’s working in reality.

We saw stories of progress and hope. But like everything else in India, it’s complicated.

There’s opportunity, and there’s inequality.

Let me explain.

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