Context: The new normal after the pandemic provides an opportunity to solve the problems faced by women.
Problems faced by women: even before the pandemic.
Lack of access to public spaces: According to the India Human Development Survey of 2012 (IHDS) data,
18 % of women respondents do not go to a kirana shop,
Only 11 % of rural women had ever attended a gram sabha.
They had to practice a different form of mask-wearing: i.e. wearing of ghunghat or purdah (Around 60% of women practised it)
They faced Isolation: Due to low mobility and dependence on others for their travelling.
E.g. According to IHDS 2012 data, about a quarter of women, respondents were unable to visit their natal families more than once a year, and only half of them felt able to travel alone.
Sexual harassment: Negative societal consequences due to the fear of sexual harassment -
Women are less likely to work or study away from home: E.g. According to IHDS data, women are less likely to work away from home in areas where perceived sexual harassment of girls is higher.
Safety concerns not limited to metro cities: A study carried out by the Non-Government Organisation (NGO) Safetipin in Bhopal, Gwalior and Jodhpur found that -
95% of women feel unsafe using public transport,
89% feel unsafe in the marketplace,
84% feel unsafe waiting for public transport,
76% feel unsafe on roads or footpath.
Way forward: To make room for women in the new normal after the pandemic
Enhance women’s feeling of safety and ensure their full participation in public life:
By improving lighting around roads, buses, and train stations; hiring women drivers and bus conductors; expanding spaces allocated to women vendors in markets.
Collaboration with society: creating an environment would not benefit women alone
For E.g. Synergy between the women’s and the nationalist movement helped to achieve independence and created an obligation for Independent India to deliver gender justice.
Provide opportunities for women to participate in creating public goods: Through special programmes designed for women or structuring existing programmes for their enhanced participation.
E.g. Programs like Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).