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CHAPTER XIV,
but the majority doubt whether the number of women in those industries
likely to qualify for benefits is sufficient to justify this step.
Financial Aspect of the Scheme.

Where maternity benefits form part of a complete State insurance
scheme, no difficulties arise in obtaining contributions from industrially
employed women, since these contributions are paid throughout against
the incidence of sickness in general, including periods of confinement, In
the absence of a State system of social insurance, however, the question
of obtaining contributions from women to a maternity benefit scheme is
not easy to arrange. There are two ways in which a woman could be
asked to bear her share. The first method would involve payment of
contributions throughout her working life ; this would mean, not only
prolonged payment even beyond child-bearing age, but also payment by
women who could not or did not have children. The second method
would require the women to pay a fair contribution during the actual
period of pregnancy ; this essentially involves early certification of
preguancy, and in our view the lack of women doctors, together with the
reluctance of the Indian woman to consult a male doctor, makes the plan
impracticable. Under present circumstances we do not recommend that
the woman worker should be asked to pay any periodical contribution.
While a system involving State contributions or Government grants
is desirable and would not be administratively impracticable, it
is more than likely, in the absence of any general scheme of sickness
insurance of which maternity benefits would form an integral part,
that it would involve a disproportionate administrative cost. At this
stage, therefore, we suggest a more general extension of the schemes
already in operation in Bombay and the Central Provinces. In those
the entire cost of the benefit is borne by the employer, and we recommend
that, in the first instance, the proposed legislation should follow these
lines. Government should have the power to exempt individual firms
whose existing schemes are shown to be at least as liberal as those laid
down in the Act. In the event of any general scheme of social
insurance being adopted, maternity benefits should be incorporated
and the cost shared by the State. the employer and the worker.

Amount and Period of Payment of Benefit.

The Central Provinces Maternity Benefit Act provides for bene-
fit at the rate of the woman’s average daily earnings, calculated on the
total wages earned during a period of three months preceding the day
of her confinement, or at the rate of eight annas per day, whichever is
less. This seems suitable for general application. We recommend
that the maximum period for which any woman shall be entitled to the
payment. of maternity benefit be four weeks up to and including the
day of her delivery and four weeks following that day. The Act
might include an injunction that an employer shall not knowingly
employ a woman within four weeks after childbirth. We are aware that
a similar clause in the British Factory Act proved difficult to enforce. but