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Introduction
In times of crisis, when resources are strained and institutional capacity is limited, women and girls face disproportionate impacts with far-reaching consequences. Hard-fought gains for women’s rights are also under threat”1.
The substance of this statement was most devastatingly affirmed during the Covid-19 pandemic as it swept across the world causing unprecedented disruption and loss of lives, intersecting multiple areas such as health, economics, gender, education, and cultural and social life, with far-reaching consequences. It’s cataclysmic effect continues to this day, showcased as it is in decimated economies globally and the exacerbation of inequalities between the polarities of rich and the poor and between women and men.
India with the second largest population in the world and its large gap between the rich, the poor, the urban and the rural, in terms of access to resources and healthcare, has been critically impacted by the pandemic. The near-total lockdown that followed the first outbreak devastated the economy with the closure of 49% of informal own units2 leading to a possible increase in relative poverty rates from 22% to 36% among the informal workers3 with the urban unemployment rate during the lockdown period jumping to nearly 24 percent in 2020. This particular section of the populace living precarious existences was further threatened, leading to a massive exodus of reverse migration from the urban to the rural. An approximate4 1.8 million were possibly repatriated as of May 2020; some sources estimate this number to have reached 25 million.
This Covid-19 wave 2020 was followed by a deadlier, more intense second wave in early 2021, led by the new mutant (B.1.617.2), resulting in a total of some 345189015 virus related cases in India and approximately 465911 deaths, though this is considered an underestimation.
Surveys focused on gender issues show that the pandemic has had a catastrophic impact on women and development and their economic and political participation with 118 women for every 100 men facing abject poverty6 with women dropping significantly in the gender equality index7.
The progress made on SDG5 in India too has been reversed8 and there is a decline in female labor participation. Estimates9 reveal that 19.3 percent of women with graduation and above qualifications are unemployed and were active job seekers during January-April 2021. The income of migrant workers’ too has fallen by an average of 85 percent after returning to their rural areas of origin. Family savings have depleted, land and assets in some cases sold and the debt burden is weighing down women’s lives. The second wave led to some unfortunate coinages that reflect the grim reality: Covid-Widows and Covid-Orphans.
Case Study of a Delhi Slum
To achieve a wider understanding of the impact of the pandemic on the economically vulnerable, particularly women, we focus on the microcosm of
a slum / unauthorized colony in Delhi, as a reflection of the ground realities prevalent in this sprawling megalopolis. Slums / UCs grow in inverse proportion to the sweep of natural calamities, climate change, economic criticality, loss of livelihoods etc. that take place periodically in rural and semi-urban parts of the country, forcing displacement and migration to larger towns and cities. An estimated 4 million people or about 25-30 percent of Delhi’s population of 19 million10 lived in unauthorized colonies or UCs in 2013, which are marked by poor living conditions e.g. lack of piped water, overflowing garbage, open sewage etc.11 The inhabitants of the area are mostly self-employed or work in private jobs or as contractual labour12, Women are mostly engaged as part-time domestic workers or work at the lower end of the occupational chain. They are low-skilled, suffer from poor health; they also bear the brunt of household chores and lack agency and voice. The family incomes average around INR 10,000-25,000 monthly13. We need to appreciate however that these slums/UCs dwellers form the very backbones of metropolitan towns, providing the support systems and the ancillary services that oil the wheels of the administration and support the lifestyles of the middle and affluent classes living in the city centres14.
Impact of Covid-19 on Health Issues
The post Covid-19 scenario has revealed women’s physical and mental health as a major areas of concern. The overwhelming 2nd wave saw many primary care clinics shutting down and hospital facilities converted to Covid-19 wards to cope with the unprecedented number of patients. These measures drastically impacted regular health care, leaving the sickly or the terminally ill, particularly vulnerable15.
Mental health-related issues rarely talked about or recognized, are more prevalent in women than men as per studies16. They manifest as silent killers, spiking stress factors and causing various illnesses. Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on the Indian economy17 causing one of the biggest contractions globally. This manifested in falling incomes and joblessness18 and amplified mental health issues as mentioned earlier; increased19 domestic violence, child abuse20 an indicator being the huge rise in calls on Child helpline numbers21; aggravated depression and suicidal tendencies with a nearly 67 percent increase in reports of such incidents in the media.
Future Interventions and Strategies
The current scenario poses tremendous opportunities to review the situation and evolve strategies for the future by engendering a holistic interconnectedness between the different disciplines. Health cannot be viewed in an exclusive silo from the greater questions of gender, autonomy and economics; hence we need a paradigm shift in perspectives and methodology. Taking into account the shortage of medical personnel proportionate to the population22 and the inadequacy of public health services in the country, a strategy would be to accord a greater role and recognition in medical care to frontline workers; such as the 2.3 million force of ASHA workers23 Anganwadi24 and AWMs (Auxiliary Nurse/ Midwives) who have tremendous outreach amongst the urban poor and rural women, as they are the first messengers for healthcare facilities. Recognizing the strength of their networks and outreach during the pandemic and its aftermath, both civil society and government bodies have used their services to reach out to vulnerable groups. They provided early health care and also played a vital role in spreading the message of vaccination and also implementing its programs across the outlying regions of the country.
Vaccination – Innovative approaches
Vaccination has been the big driver to contain the virus and while the government has pursued the program aggressively with more than a billion doses given so far, yet there is a 20 percent gap in the vaccination ratio25 between the sexes. This is caused by a variety of reasons that reflect the poor gender indices in the country e.g. lack of f access to mobiles, digital illiteracy, myths and fears and the low worth they ascribe to themselves. The vaccination drive has been supported by a two-pronged strategy. government bodies have been administering free doses to the poor while the private medical facilities have a fixed price for the facility. In order to address some of the gaps in the system, civil society too joined the effort by conducting awareness campaigns to mitigate vax hesitancy and make the process more accessible, particularly in the urban slums, where the occupations of the women reveal their vulnerability (Figure 1).
Fig. 1. Occupations of vaccinated women by percentage
The Gender Dimension – Closing the Equality Gap
The post-Covid world needs a substantial increase in the contribution from women – the one-half of the population – to address the challenges it faces across multiple fronts: economic, global warming; digital disruption, inclusive growth, workforce and skills among others. This can be enabled only by closing the gender equality gap and empowering women. It involves changing their perceptions about themselves, to have the agency to have access to resources: material, human and social and to utilize them, and understanding and recognize injustice both institutionalized and sporadic26. Empowerment is inextricably linked to economic agency which is fundamental to poverty reduction and food security, lasting, inclusive and sustainable economic growth.
The development effect of putting more money in the hands of women makes imminent sense as they spend a greater portion of their incomes on their families, hence Increasing women’s incomes and their control over family spending will have a domino effect on improvements in child nutrition, health, education and work, thereby breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Higher levels of gender equality also generates lowered poverty and food insecurity in the general population, higher standing in the Human Development Index, and less environmental degradation27.
Given this scenario, the falling rate of female labor force participation in India at 31 percent including both rural and urban28 is of deep concern. Various sociocultural, economic factors lie behind this reality, which demands a substantive and well-structured redress from government agencies, private sector and civil society, that must be backed by political will.
A major step in this direction would be to substantially increase women’s digital inclusion as a key gateway to financial services and opportunities for income generation, besides education, information and every form of learning29 The post-Covid world has witnessed an exponential rise in the usage of technology and digitalization and women at current internet accessibility, lagging behind men by nearly 135 million in India, must be granted incentives to close the gender gap. To this effect various governments and NGOs have started Computer Classes for girls and women in the slum area. Similarly30 skill training and up-skilling is a vital part of improving women’s job possibilities and liberating them from the lowest end of the occupational hierarchy.
Increased political participation at the grassroots and higher levels is a vital element to give women a voice in governance. While twenty State governments have reserved 50 percent of seats for women at the local level, the highest political body the Lok Sabha has a mere 14 percent of women candidates.
Conclusion
The post-Covid reality demands a paradigm shift in perspectives and the way we shape our future – for ourselves and for the generations to come. The extraordinary challenges, death and devastation caused by the pandemic leave us lessons that cannot and should not be ignored. Abjuring the irresponsible exploitation of resources and bridging the silos dividing communities, the sexes and the rich and poor is urgently needed as an interconnected world leaves us no room for complacency. The next disaster is waiting in the wings. This perhaps is the pandemic’s most powerful message.
