Study Reveals Covid-19 Pandemic Has Forced Women From Low Income Groups To Cut Back On Food

Study Reveals Covid-19 Pandemic Has Forced Women From Low Income Groups To Cut Back On Food

It would be an understatement to say that things have changed since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. This virus has changed our lives upside down. Or outside in, as the case maybe. And mostly for the worst. From the number of domestic violence cases to the lack of food availability – the conditions are becoming even more concerning daily. Needless to say, women have it worse. Especially the ones that are the part of low-income families where there is a lack of food and accessibility to even basic resources. 

Recently, a study by consulting firm Dalberg has shown that one in ten women in low-income families did not have enough food from March to October 2020. The study also found that the women of the low-income households have been cutting back on their food and rest while supporting their families with more unpaid care work amidst the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Over 15,000+ low-income household women were surveyed by the study. The study also revealed that it took longer for women of these households to go back to work after the first wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The report on women from low-income households stated that “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.”

According to the report, the increase in women’s household duties is concerning as it might make it harder for them to rejoin the workforce. And that might eventually lead to an economic crisis that may easily outgrow the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

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Other Effects of Covid-19

One of the other effects of the Covid-19 pandemic is the fact that the low-income households could not afford the basic necessities of women. The  Dalberg report shed light on the fact that a minimum of 16% (estimation of 1.7crore) of women who belonged to low-income families had limited or no access to menstrual pads, between March and November. And these were women who could – prior to the pandemic – afford to use the menstrual pads.

When speaking to the newly married women belonging to low-income families, 33% of them said that they couldn’t get access to contraceptives since the public health outreach programs were disrupted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the Dalberg report, the worst-hit group is the single, divorced, and or Muslim women. The report stated, “Women from lower-income households were also slow to recover both their paid work and income. The extent of food deprivation and limitations in access to pads were also higher for some of these segments. For example, 20 percentage points more single, separated/divorced women had limited food or ran out of food during the pandemic compared to the average woman, while 3-6 percentage points more women from households with less than INR 10,000 monthly income were faced nutritional challenges compared to women from households with more income.”

Coming face to face with the realities of our country is shocking but not surprising. The conditions of low-income households have been known but the condition of women of these households has never been spoken about. Somehow, we’ve always turned a blind eye to their situations – especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. But it’s never too late to change things around. We still can come together and help these women. A small step will most definitely go a long way. 

Ritu Sanghvi

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