06:32 AM EDT, 08/19/2024 (MT Newswires) -- Apple ( AAPL ) supplier Foxconn defended its hiring process after Indian authorities ordered a probe into its reported bias against hiring married women for iPhone assembly jobs, Reuters reported Saturday.

Reuters said the investigation was ordered after it published a report in June, which found that Foxconn rejected married women from jobs at its main iPhone assembly plant in India because they have more responsibilities than unmarried women.

According to the report, Foxconn told labor officials that its main iPhone factory employs 41,281 people, including about 2,750 married women. Foxconn Chairman Young Liu said the company "hires regardless of gender" and "married women greatly contribute" to their efforts, Reuters added.

Apple ( AAPL ) and Foxconn did not immediately respond to MT Newswires' request for comments.

(Market Chatter news is derived from conversations with market professionals globally. This information is believed to be from reliable sources but may include rumor and speculation. Accuracy is not guaranteed.)

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