Gender Studies Committee,

School of Law, CHRIST (Deemed to be University)

presents

On Women in the Workplace:

A Policy Hackathon

March, 2024
 About CHRIST (Deemed to be
University), Bangalore

The CHRIST (Deemed to be University) was born out of the educational vision of
St. Kuriakose Elias Chavara, an educationist and social reformer of the nineteenth
century in South India. He founded the first Catholic indigenous congregation,
Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI), in 1831 which administers CHRIST
(Deemed to be University). CHRIST (Deemed to be University) was established as
‘Christ College’ in 1969. It undertook path-breaking initiatives in Indian higher
education with the introduction of innovative and modern curricula, insistence on
academic discipline, imparting of holistic education and adoption of global higher
education practices with the support of creative and dedicated staff. The
multidisciplinary university which focuses on teaching research and service offers
Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral programmes in humanities, social sciences,
sciences, commerce, management, engineering, architecture, education, and law to
about 25,000 students. CHRIST (Deemed to be University) has seven campuses,
four centred in Bangalore (Bangalore Central Campus, Bangalore Bannerghatta
Campus, Bangalore Kengeri Campus, and Bangalore Yeshwanthpur Campus),
Delhi NRC Off-campus and Pune Lavasa Off Campus. The central campus is a
living example of harmonious multiculturalism with students from all the states
and union territories and around 60 different countries. CHRIST (Deemed to be
University) publishes six peer-reviewed research journals and has published more
than 300 books in Kannada and English. A promoter of sports, music, and literary
activities, it is a nurturing ground for creative excellence.
 About School of Law

School of Law, CHRIST (Deemed to be University), through its five-year law

Program, has carved a space for itself in the top league of premier law schools in
India. The school molds its students through a combination of exposure to the
advanced syllabus, clinical legal education programs, and faculty monitored
participation in curricular and extra-curricular activities.

The syllabus for the five-year program goes far beyond the basic requirements of
the Bar Council of India reflecting the current trends and demands of academia
and the industry. Besides having a league of highly qualified faculty, the
educational process is supported by a library equipped with a rich depository of
online and offline resources. The School of Law will strive to work with an
untiring commitment to the cause of rule of law and promotion of excellence in the
realm of legal education in India.
 About the Gender Studies Committee

CHRIST (Deemed to be University) has always supported holistic education and

development, and the education of students on issues surrounding gender is an
intrinsic part of such development. The Gender Studies Committee at the School
of Law endeavours to create safe spaces for students to have healthy and well-
informed discussions.

Dysphoria, and dysmorphia, expansively envelop human beings across the lines of
gender, caste, class, creed, colour and every other possible division you can think of
in this diverse, diverse world. Most of the time, it isn't like we're completely and
utterly lost, either. We know conditioning happens, and we also know how subtle it
can be. At the Gender Studies Committee, we attempt to undo this entrenched
gendered conditioning. The Gender Studies Committee is not merely a committee
and has transcended to become a community of broad-minded and forward-
thinking individuals, engaged in an analysis of the underlying socio-cultural factors
that influence the way we think, rationalise and behave. Through the years we have
organised lectures, panels, reading circles, open forums, et cetera on all things
gender.
 Trilegal, as jury for the Hackathon

Trilegal is a full-service law firm with offices in Bengaluru, Delhi, Gurugram, and
Mumbai. They have been consistently recognized as the best Indian law firm for
the quality of our services and client satisfaction. The Labour and Employment
practice is one of the most dynamic in the country and has been the go-to resource
for clients across varied sectors, including several Fortune 500 Companies, who
value the long-standing experience and expertise in handling them through
difficult employment situations and disputes, policy decisions and implementation,
and changes in the constantly developing legislative environment. The Practice is
acknowledged for its attention to detail and depth of knowledge across all key
aspects of engaging human capital in India, covering varied industries. It is
consistently rated as one of India’s best Labour and Employment Practices by
agencies such as Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, IBLJ, IDEX, Asian Legal
Business, Who’s Who Legal, and Asialaw.

Cognizant of their commitment to excellence, the Labour and Employment team

at Trilegal will act as jury for the Hackathon and will assess the submissions
received to determine the winners.
 Background Guide
Note to the drafter

For gender minorities, despite having broken the glass ceiling, to achieve formal
equality- as Katherine O’Donnovon rightly puts it-they must enter the
marketplace as if they are men. The workplace also treats them like a homogenous
entity- without space for accommodations.

You are a member of the Labour and Employment team and have been tasked to
draft a policy fostering innovative solutions and strategies to address inequality and
empower gender minorities in the corporate sector. For most in the community,
negotiating for reproductive rights with their employer at the workplace is
recurring. They continue to face various barriers and biases that hinder their
advancement and limit their opportunities for leadership and career growth.
Corporate policies play a crucial role in shaping the work environment and can
either propagate or dismantle gender disparities.

Thus, you are tasked with drafting a policy that attempts to undo this and allows
them to negotiate collectively in one model policy, which can be adopted across
corporations. The policy drafted must aim at identifying the barriers in existing
corporate policies, develop creative and innovative solutions that address the
challenges, assess the impact of proposed policies on furthering gender equality
and inclusion, and strategies to implement the policies within the corporate for
actionable and definite results.

This will act as a model policy for institutions, organizations, and corporations to
implement, setting a standard for inclusivity and equity. Please note that the policy
must be all-encompassing and will be marked for how best it accommodates for
gender minorities in the workplace with clarity and compassion.
 Background Guide

While the belowmentioned may be used as a foundational checklist, it is non-

exhaustive. We encourage the draft to think creatively, expansively and beyond the
binary- either of gender, expression or thought.

The drafter must make specific accommodations regarding reproductive health

should be outlined, including prenatal care, maternity care, abortion, and
transitioning care, all without any discrimination or barriers, and it should address
parental leave, care leaves, transition-related, and gender affirmation-related
leaves. Further, the policy must ensure that services, such as hormone therapy,
gender confirmation surgery, and mental health support, are accessible and must
accommodate the needs of its employees- if and when the need arises. The drafter
must take into account the needs of employees during such surgeries, pregnancy,
childbirth, and postpartum recovery.

Points to be considered while drafting the policies:

Providing for flexible work arrangements that accommodate a healthy work-
life balance (parental leave, childcare support, menstrual leave, gender-
affirming care etc.)
Accommodating for biases, and socio-cultural landspaces to encourage and
support women in leadership and management positions.
Recognising intersectionality and diversity.
Prioritising privacy, transparency and confidentiality when addressing matters
related to reproductive health and decision-making as well as in promotions,
salaries, and evaluation of performance.

The policy must analyse the existing jurisprudence and align the policy
accordingly. Participants are encouraged to refer to various case studies, reports,
legislations, legal frameworks, and personal testimonies by the relevant
stakeholders.
 Details of the Competition

The Gender Studies Committee is organising its first Policy Hackathon to

accommodate the reproductive rights of gender minorities at the workplace,
with Trilegal as its jury. The Hackathon will require participants to draft a
model policy regarding menstrual leave, abortion and gender-affirming care,
among others, for Companies, Institutions and Organisations.

GUIDELINES
I. ELIGIBILITY & COMPOSITION
All undergraduate students of law, policy and other relevant social science
backgrounds are eligible to take part in the Hackathon. This Competition is
open nationwide to all law Colleges/Institutions/Universities. Students may
either participate individually or in teams consisting two (2) members.
II. REGISTRATION
All interested students shall be required to register for the event in
order to be eligible to send in submissions. Each team shall be provided
with a team code that they shall use as a reference point throughout the
competition.
The registration fee is Rs. 500/- per team.
Request for refund of the registration fee shall not be entertained.

Registration link: https://forms.gle/ZFzMtFwC5NryvZXDA

The last date to register is: 25th February, 2024.

III. RULES FOR SUBMISSION

Suggestive Title - Provide a suitable title.
Policy Statement - Give a brief description of the objective(s) of the
Heads
policy and recommendations.
Existing Jurisprudence - Provide a review of the extant jurisprudence
surrounding the subject matter, in India and globally.
Policy Draft - This will be the main body of the policy
recommendations to tackle the issues identified in the background.
Conclusion - This will include a summary of your considerations and
draft proposal.

Submission 1. The name of the document should be “team code - Written

Submission”
Guidelines 2. Submissions must be made via the google form only
3. In the event the team has issues relating to the submission of their
submission, they shall contact the committee at the provided email
address within the stipulated deadline
4. The subject of the mail should be “team - Written Submission | GSC
2023”

Formatting 1. All submissions must be in Times New Roman, Font Size 11, Spacing
1.15; Footnote Size 9, Spacing 1.0; Margins: Left 1 inch, Right 1 inch,
Guidelines
top 1 inch, and Bottom 1 inch.
 1.
2. The page limit of the written submission shall not exceed ten pages
(excluding the cover page).
3. The relevant sources/ references must be mentioned as footnotes.
Plagiarism will result in disqualification.
4. Citations must strictly conform to Harvard Bluebook Format (21st
Edition).
5. The written submission must not contain the names of the
participants.
6. All the entries should be submitted in PDF format with the
mentioned document name.
7. The authors shall bear sole responsibility for the accuracy of facts,
opinions or views mentioned in their Submission.

IV. GENERAL GUIDELINES

The organisers reserve all the rights over the submissions so received.
The decision of the organisers and the judges is final and binding.
Non-adherence to the rules and guidelines mentioned shall lead to
disqualification of the team.
Only one team shall register from one College/Institution/University.
The teams are prohibited from contacting the Trilegal team.

V. PRIZES *
1st Place: Rs. 9,000
2nd Place: Rs. 6,000
3rd Place: Rs. 3,000

The top 10 submissions will receive certificates of merit recognising the

same, while all the participants will receive certificates of participation.
*The winning team may be considered for an internship at Trilegal subject to the Firm’s policy.

Please note that the prize money amount is subject to taxation vide GST and will be deducted at the source.
GUIDE TO THE PAYMENT PORTAL

Go onto the official Christ University website.

Click on the Online Payment Portal.

*
Click on Central Campus.
GUIDE TO THE PAYMENT PORTAL

Click on ‘FEST”

Select the options accordingly and proceed to payment.

*
 Evaluation Rubrics

We are looking for simple, straightforward, 10

Drafting error-free writing. Marks

Wegauge
We will will gauge an understanding
an understanding of theofissues,
the issues,
identifying
the right themes andthemes
resources, 10
Research identifying the right andand quality,and
resources, extent, and
quality,
relevance of the research to the issues. Marks
extent and relevance of the research to the issues

We will assess how convincingly the problem has been

Standard of considered, and how well the team’s position has been put 10
Proposed Measures forward. We will evaluate whether loopholes have been Marks
identified, anticipated and appropriately plugged.

Feasibility of We will assess if the solution/s proposed will make sense in 10

practice - i.e., in the real world. This is not intended to be a Marks
Solution/s mere theoretical or academic exercise.

We would like to see well-structured submissions. We will

look at the flow of the submission, style of writing, 10
Articulation Marks
language, grammar and overall presentation including
formatting.
Timeline for the Competition

Release of Competition Dates & Call for Registrations

out on 15th February, 2024

Release of Policy Guidelines & Call for Submissions

open from 15th February, 2024

Last Date for Registration & Clarifications

open till 28th February, 2024

Deadline for Written Submissions

by 15th March 2024

Declaration of Results & Prizes

by 25th March, 2024
 For more Information

MANAGEMENT
Fr. Thomas T.V, Director
Dr. Jayadevan S Nair, Dean
Dr. Sapna S, Associate Dean
& Head of Department

FACULTY
CO-ORDINATORS
Prof. Dr. Valarmathi R Gender Studies Committee
Dr. Chaitra R Beerannavar
CHRIST (Deemed to be University), Bangalore
STUDENT Central Campus, Hosur Road, Near Dairy
CONVENORS Circle, Bangalore, Karnataka - 560029
Adithi Holla
+91 63615 00476 genderstudiescommittee@law.christuniversity.in
Sneha Nagarajan
+91 99729 07333 @gender_studies_slcu