The northeastern state of Sikkim has the best working conditions for women, whereas the national capital has the worst, according to a report by the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a top American think tank, and Nathan Associates. Sikkim tops the list with a score of 29.5, while Delhi received just 8.5.

• The states were ranked according to four main factors: Legal restrictions on women’s working hours in factories, retail, and the IT industry; the responsiveness of the state’s criminal justice system to crimes affecting working women, such as sexual harassment; the number of women workers in the state as a percentage of total workers; and the number of incentives the state’s start-up and industrial policies offer women entrepreneurs.

• “But the tiny northeastern state of Sikkim is the breakthrough state for women in the workplace, thanks to its high rates of female workforce participation, lack of restrictions on women’s working hours, and high conviction rates for workforce crimes against women (albeit on a small sample size),” the report said.

• Four states (Sikkim, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu) have removed all restrictions on women working at night in factories, retail establishments and the IT sector, the report said. Sikkim is followed by Telangana (28.5), Puducherry (25.6), Karnataka (24.7), Himachal Pradesh (24.2), Andhra Pradesh (24.0), Kerala (22.2) and Maharashtra (21.4).

• According to the report, India has the world’s lowest rate (24 per cent) of female workforce participation.