PLFS-2018-19 and NFHS-4: Drawing Inferences for Indian Women during COVID-19 Pandemic

Both domestic and public spaces are unequal sites of work for females. The sudden disruption in social and economic life due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, has led to work loss, increase in physical and emotional abuse on females regardless of class status aggravated by an inadequate network of support. It has reinforced gender inequality across economy and domesticity and reveals the fissures that underlie the attempts at establishing gender equality in the country. The PLFS and NFHS-4 data indicate why women are likely to be more vulnerable both in their participation in economic activities and also within the domestic sphere. As economic distress increases across the country, vulnerabilities for women will also exacerbate and increase. Incidence of domestic violence and abuse are likely to increase as more households slip into poverty.