A key manufacturer of Apple devices, Foxconn, has been found excluding married women from assembly jobs at its flagship smartphone plant in India, according to a reported published in Reuters.

This occurrence is in contrast to the codes of conduct of both the company and the corporation, as it is explicitly discriminating on the basis of marital status.

A Reuters investigation report, which was published on Tuesday, revealed that Foxconn discriminates against married women by rejecting their job applications, because of their “greater family responsibilities compared to unmarried counterparts” as the reason.

It was also revealed in the report that the smartphone manufacturer systematically excluded married women from job opportunities at its main iPhone assembly plant in Sriperumbudur, near Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

Moreover, the company justified this by claiming that married women have “more issues post-marriage.”

As per the report, this was confirmed by numerous former and current employees from over a dozen Foxconn hiring agencies across India, many of whom spoke to the news agency on the condition of anonymity.

Reasons including family duties, pregnancy, and higher absenteeism were cited by the agents and Foxconn HR for not hiring married women at the plant. Additionally, many noted that the jewellery worn by married Hindu women could interfere with production.

However, the ban is not absolute. Three former Foxconn HR executives told Reuters that the Taiwan-headquartered manufacturer is relaxing its policy of not hiring married women during high-production periods when it faces labour shortages.

The media organisation also found that in some cases, hiring agencies assist female candidates in concealing their marital status to secure jobs.