Women, Lost More Jobs Than Men Post-Lockdown: Survey

Women have had the adverse impact of a pandemic than men, as they have lost more jobs than men, especially in the informal sector, according to an informal workers' survey steered by civil society organisation, ActionAid Association.

The survey was conducted between May-June that covered 11,537 respondents covering 20 states, from the informal sector, of which 3,221 were women, accounting for 28 per cent of the total respondents. It was found that 85 per cent, among domestic workers, had lost their livelihoods after the lockdown.

About 79.23 per cent of women were out of jobs post-lockdown period compared to men, and over 51 per cent of them were given no wages for their work during the lockdown period, reported Times of India.

Among domestic workers, 85 per cent women lost their livelihoods after lockdown, and 68 per cent had incurred debts to meet daily expenses, as they faced a reduction in income and had to rely on their savings.

Majority of them live in urban areas, most of them migrated for work. Before the imposition of lockdown, 90 per cent of surveyed women were working compared to 85 per cent of men. However, right after mid-May, 79 per cent of women were left jobless compared to 75 per cent of men.

Women surveyed worked in various labour sectors including domestic, agriculture, beedi makers and waste workers. Majority of women did not receive wages compared to the equal number of men, some of them even received partial wages, the media reported.

Another worrying fact is that some of these domestic workers have not enrolled themselves for an Aadhar Card, the rate is low. Half of them have ration cards. The government schemes such as Ujjawala Yojana, Jan Dhan have 10 per cent and 19 per cent beneficiaries. However, it is to be noticed that people having Jan Dhan accounts, most of them have availed money provided under PM Garib Kalyan Yojana.

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