Building forward better and more equitable: gendered impacts of the pandemic

COVID has laid bare the deep, pre-existing gender inequalities in the Indian labour market and has amplified them. Even before the onset of the crisis, progress toward gender equality had been uneven - women’s labour force participation rates had been declining, and the majority of women worked in informal work arrangements. Women have lost more jobs than men, as they are overrepresented in sectors that are most affected, such as tourism, the hospitality and retail sector, small and medium enterprises in the informal sector, the domestic work sector, and home-based work. As per one estimate, four out of every ten women who worked previously lost their jobs during the pandemic induced lockdown. Besides, many women are also faced with increased vulnerability to domestic violence. Women and girls are also particularly affected due to their unpaid care responsibilities (caring for children, the elderly and infirm and household work), the demands of which have grown dramatically during the pandemic.
In order to build forward better and ensure equitable growth and recovery, it is important to account for these impacts that have affected women and girls far more significantly. The panel will share insights from their research findings on various dimensions that have affected women’s socio-economic empowerment, and will identify policy solutions and measures for a more gender responsive path to recovery and resilience.