The Gendered Impact of the US H-1B Visa Fee Hike on Indian Women
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: International Relations (Bilateral relations - India-US); Indian Economy (Indian Diaspora, Remittances, Service Sector Exports, Labour Force); Social Justice (Gender Issues).
Mains:
General Studies Paper 1 (Society): Role of women and women's organization; Social empowerment; Effects of globalization on Indian society.
General Studies Paper 2 (International Relations & Social Justice): Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests; The role of Indian diaspora; Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections (Women). This is a perfect inter-disciplinary topic.
Key Highlights from the News
America's newly imposed H-1B visa fee increase will disproportionately hurt young Indian women applicants compared to Indian men.
Key Reasons for this:
The share of women among new H-1B visa applicants is increasing. Since the new fee applies only to new applicants, it will affect women more.
Women generally have lower salaries than men on H-1B visas (gender pay gap). Therefore, it will be financially more expensive for companies to hire a woman by paying a $100,000 fee.
Most women applying for the visa are younger applicants and are starting their careers.
Compared to men, more women applying for the visa have higher educational qualifications, especially master's degrees.
This move will significantly reduce opportunities for talented young women from India to secure employment in America and increase gender inequality in the global labor market.
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