Paper 2 – Section C – Social Changes in India – (vii) Challenges of Social Transformation:
- (a) Crisis of development: displacement, environmental problems and sustainability.
- (b) Poverty, deprivation and inequalities.
- (c) Violence against women.
- (d) Caste conflicts.
- (e) Ethnic conflicts, communalism, religious revivalism.
- (f) Illiteracy and disparities in education.
INTRODUCTION
Data from India shows that in the first lockdown in 2020, only seven per cent of men lost their jobs, compared to 47 per cent of women, said Daniela Bas, director, UNDESA (UN). As the world climbs out of the pandemic, economists warn of a troubling data point: Failing to restore jobs for women – who have been less likely than men to return to the workforce – could shave trillions of dollars off global economic growth. The forecast is particularly bleak in developing countries like India, where female labor force participation fell so steeply that it’s now in the same league as war-torn Yemen.
RELEVANCE OF THE TOPIC
Closing the employment gap between men and women – a whopping 58 percentage points – could expand India’s GDP by close to a third by 2050. That equates to nearly $6 trillion in constant US dollar terms, according to a recent analysis from Bloomberg Economics. Doing nothing threatens to derail the country on its quest to become a competitive producer for global markets. Though women in India represent 48 per cent of the population, they contribute only around 17 per cent of GDP compared to 40 per cent in China.
WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT – HOW DID PANDEMIC AFFECT THEM MORE ?
Women disproportionately work in low-wage service occupations which has been a double-edged sword: as the pandemic intensified, many were laid off and many others were asked to work in increasingly dangerous conditions. More generally, women’s employment declined more than that of men since those working in so-called pink jobs (e.g., in education and health services) were more likely to experience layoffs.Beyond the involuntary job loss, women also shouldered more of the caregiving burden during the pandemic. Domestic violence and increased mental health issues further aggravated the problems for women.
DATA
Women were disproportionately affected, accounting for 38.9 per cent of total employment before the Covid-19 crisis but making up 47.6 per cent of employment losses in 2020, underlined the International Labour Organization report.
Globally, between 2019 and 2020, 4.2% of women’s employment was eliminated as a result of the pandemic, representing a drop of 54 million jobs, compared to 3% of men’s employment or 60 million jobs. (ILO)
CONCLUSION
Creating a robust care infrastructure; Ensuring fair and equal wages and quality benefits; Creating strong workplace protections are some of the ways to mitigate this job-loss issues. Gender budgeting and Gender specific policies by various ministries should be channelised to neutralize the impact of pandemic on livelihood of women.
