COVID-19 and its Gendered Impact: Evidence from India Lal Alpana Associate Professor, Department of Economics, University of Lucknow, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India, Email id: alpana100678@gmail.com Online Published on 24 August, 2023. Abstract Though the ‘Corona Virus’ may not discriminate by gender but the COVID-19 pandemic has had a gendered impact, with women being disproportionately affected by the crisis and the response of the state. Women across the globe have experienced the adverse effects of the pandemic, leading to increased gender inequality both within and outside the family. The consequences of the pandemic on women include widespread unemployment, job displacement, income loss, and a heavier burden of care work. The gendered impacts of COVID-19 are complex and extend beyond care work and domestic violence, with some immediate impacts such as job losses, food shortages and enhanced domestic workloads, and with some long-term consequences such as financial depletion, asset loss, and permanent dismissal or challenges in reentering the labor market, which would make recovery difficult. This paper examines some of the key gendered effects of the pandemic on women and girls, including employment and income loss, increased care work due to lockdown measures, challenges faced by healthcare and care workers, domestic violence, child marriages, and access to maternal and reproductive health services. It explores how their lives have changed in response to COVID-19 and proposes priority measures for immediate response and long-term recovery efforts. Top Keywords COVID-19, Domestic violence, Gender, Pandemic, Unpaid care work, Women. Top |