The head of a company that supplies products for Apple has denied reports it was rejecting married women from iPhone assembly jobs in India. The Indian government has ordered investigations into allegations that Apple supplier Foxconn systematically excluded married women from jobs at its main India iPhone assembly plant on the grounds they have more family responsibilities than their unmarried counterparts.
Foxconn acknowledged some lapses in hiring practices in 2022 and said it had worked to address the issues, but added that it "vigorously refutes allegations of employment discrimination". The story triggered TV debates and newspaper editorials in India. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's federal government ordered Tamil Nadu to provide a "detailed report" on it, and his labour officials also visited the iPhone factory to question executives.