Women in India's low-income households cut back on their food intake, and rest, but provided more unpaid care work, amid the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, found a study by consulting firm Dalberg.
The study, in which over 15,000 women were surveyed, also revealed that it was taking longer for them to re-enter workforce after the first wave of COVID-19.
"An estimated 3.2 crore women reported being worried about food sufficiency in their households (but not having had to limit food yet). Given Indian women’s poor nutritional outcomes pre-pandemic, it could compound pre-existing women’s poor nutritional outcomes pre-pandemic," the report said.
Women made up just 24 percent of those working before the pandemic but accounted for 28 percent of all those who lost jobs, and 43 percent of those yet to recover their paid work.
About 41 percent of women versus 37 percent of men saw an increase in unpaid care work. While 27 percent women said they got less rest during the pandemic compared to only 18 percent men said the same.
Of the women who were successfully enlisted under the MNRGA, at least 30 percent did not find work.
At least 16 percent of women (an estimated 1.7 crore) who used menstrual pads prior to the pandemic had no or limited access to menstrual pads between March and November, the study pointed.
This was primarily because they could no longer afford these items.
At least 33 percent of the married women surveyed said that they couldn’t access contraceptives as the pandemic disrupted public health outreach programs.
The study pointed that women from lower-income households, Muslim as well as migrant women, and single separated/divorced women were among the hardest hit.
The Dalberg study also said that the existing government machinery alone cannot fill the existing gaps, and pointed that additional support systems should be established to support recovery of women. Some suggestions put forth by the study are:
Launch drives to enlist women on MGNREGA job cards; increase the total number of person-days to support rural women’s recovery.
Bundle provision of pads with the PDS distribution; conduct awareness campaigns on menstrual hygiene to increase usage.
Ramp up family planning efforts to increase contraceptive access and usage.
Put in place systems for inclusion of single, separated/divorced/widowed women under the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) rollout.
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