Podcast | How Has the Pandemic Deepened Gender Inequality?

The COVID-19 pandemic, as we know, has impacted our worldly fabric in more ways than one. Along with the obvious healthcare crisis, it has also led to social, economic, and ecological crises.

A recent strongly worded commentary in the medical journal Lancet, titled, 'COVID-19: the turning point for gender equality,' brings to light the different ways in which the pandemic has stifled progress towards gender inequality.

In this podcast, FIT speaks to Dr Gita Sen, member of Public Health Foundation of India and a co-author of this commentary, about invisible and overt ways in which the pandemic has impacted women.

How Has the Pandemic Impacted Women’s Bodily Autonomy?

"There is, what I would call a hidden pandemic of violence against women during this pandemic (COVID-19) that is quite serious."

Dr Gita Sen, member of Public Health Foundation of India

Dr Sen speaks of the different ways in which women's bodily autonomy has been compromised during the pandemic, undoing a great deal of progress that was previously made towards gender equality.

Some of the ways in which this has manifested are,

• An increase in domestic violence and abuse

• A spike in child and early marraiges

• More girl children being forced to drop out of school

• Women's participation in the workforce shrinking

• Lower vaccine uptake among women than by men

• Less attention to natal care due to a diversion in healthcare resources towards fighting COVID

• The disproportionate burden of 'invisible work' or 'unpaid care work' that falls on the women of the households.

Looking Forward: What Can Help Close This Gap?

"If we don't even recognise (this gap), if we don't have the data and the evidence that tell us how much the gap is, what policy is possible? Policies are driven by honest, truthful data."

Dr Gita Sen, member of Public Health Foundation of India

While recognising the issue is the first step, the next step, according to Dr Sen would be serious campaigns to reduce and redistribute the drudgery of the workload.

She talks of how policies will have to be carried through to completion to make sure they are having the intended impact in elevating this burden on women.

"Another thing that we need is much more attention to equity in the availability of vaccines," she says.

How would this affect gender inequality?

One of the reasons for the gender inequality in vaccine uptake is shortages, Dr Sen goes on to explain.

"If we have to ration vaccines, who will get it? If we were able to produce (vaccines) at a bigger rate than we are, that would have a big impact."

Dr Gita Sen