In India, four months have passed since the initial nationwide lockdown implemented by the Government of India on 25th March 2020 and now preparation for Unlock 2.0 is beginning, with relaxed restrictions barring a few services such as of Cinema halls, theatres, bars, educational institutes, swimming pools, and other similar services.

Amidst the new policies announced and regulations updated, the role of women, and the economic impact on them is undervalued at an unprecedented rate in India. In a recent policy brief on ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Women’ by the United Nations on 9^th April 2020, it was stated that “Women will be the hardest hit by this pandemic but they will also be the backbone of recovery in communities.” 

The threat of the pandemic worsening the pre-existing gender inequalities is rising, with a risk of erasing the limited gains of women liberation made in the past few decades in India and worldwide. It is widely known the abysmal manner in which the center handled the migrant labour situations, but often the cases of women migrant labours are overlooked in the broader term of this case.

Women’s Position in Coronavirus

Unpaid care work has increased for women, within households, and informal care jobs. Established gender norms have added responsibilities to women performing the majority of the household chores and care work, and sadly these are not paid and invisible in the economic sense of nature. Women perform 9.6 times more unpaid care work than men, according to a report by the International Labour Organization.

Teachers and nurses are underpaid in the formal care sectors, and even though educational institutes are closed, some teachers still have to go to school for administrative purposes. Sanya Bannerjee, a preschool teacher in a well-reputed school in Vadodara, Gujarat is a single mother of an 8-year-old son. She recounts her experience, “We teachers don’t have to go to school every day, maybe twice or thrice a week. I have to leave my son with the neighbors as the school crèche is closed. I cannot avoid my work as it is my only source of income now. Earlier, I used to take tuitions, but that has stopped since March. I am worried about the health of my son, but I have to go to work for both of us.”

Around the world, women earn less than men and are more likely to be employed in the informal sector, especially in south-Asian countries. With reduced social security and entrenched gender norms, their ability to absorb economic shocks is less than that of men. The pandemic and the economic crisis in India has created a detrimental atmosphere for the single-parent household.

Deepali a domestic helper from Khar, Mumbai says, “I haven’t worked for three months. Out of four houses, only one house paid my salary all these months. In the beginning of the year, I had got a job for washing dishes. But you know, these rich people get to know everything first, and they made some absurd reason and asked me not to come to work in the middle of February. Now I cannot go looking for jobs. Many societies here have rules not to allow people like us to enter because we come from Jhopar-Patti areas. It has been very difficult for me to make ends meet. I am desperately in need of work.” Deepali worked in houses in Santa Cruz and Bandra. She adds that once she was given 3kg of dal and rice from an NGO, but now Deepali and her daughter survives on rice water and boiled vegetables.

According to a recent article on the New York Times, it was reported that female labour participation decreased to 21% from 32% from the year 2005 to 2018 in the country. Women are at a much higher risk of losing their existing jobs and the lack of employment opportunities is said to make it tougher for Indian women to re-enter professional workspace.

Women and girls perform three times more unpaid care and domestic work than men. In the informal sector, they have limited access to social protection and paid sick leaves. While this invisible economy has a positive impact on the formal economy, it has a much greater negative impact on women’s lives.

The mental strain on women worrying about their job security is causing major anxiety-related mental health issues. Due to a low or negligible support system, they are truly in a vulnerable position. The social distancing rules have induced an undesirable effect of a safety norm since it has created a greater physical divide for women to reach out for help. Lack of a support system and negligible safety nets has created a catastrophic environment for women like Deepali and Sanya. 

The discussion of the drawbacks of policies by the government in this period of the pandemic in gender-neutral terms has downplayed the economic impact on women’s lives.  The national media and prominent political figures often wash away the unique issues and situations faced by women due to the systemic social disadvantage. It is imperative to address challenges faced by women and form policies keeping their needs at the center of it.

Conclusion:

A major economic recession announced by the International Monetary Fund, and it is deemed to be unique than any previous global recession. This likelihood will bring challenges to the vulnerable and weaker members of our society, especially women. The progress in women empowerment over the years is likely to be erased in these difficult times as women are burdened with more unpaid care work, domestic labour and gender pay gaps. Women are distanced from NGOs and other organizations for help in current times, which is likely the cause of the rise of domestic violence. Policies should be formed, taking the sensitive issues faced by women, as they have comparatively weaker social safety nets.

The post HOW IS THE CORONAVIRUS ECONOMY MORE CATASTROPHIC FOR INDIAN WOMEN? appeared first on WISER WORLD.

• Sukanya Samriddi Yojana- This scheme is for your daughter’s education and marriage they want to convey that parents can secure and plan their daughter’s life more effectively. It provides an annualized return of 8.1%. 
• National Pension Scheme – It fulfills the needs of retirement needs. It provides the tax benefits for investment up to Rs 50,000 under section 80CCD in addition to Rs 150000 under section 80C. 
• Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana – This scheme caters to the needs of the economically weaker section of the society and helps them with basic banking services like a savings account, insurance, pension, etc. The minimum contribution is Rs 1000 while there is no cap on the maximum contribution.
• Public Provident Fund – It is a long term saving scheme that benefits the self-employed people to save for their retirement. It offers tax benefits under 80 C of the Income-Tax Act and provides a tax-free return on maturity. Tax-free interest on maturity and provides an annualized return of 7.6%. 
• National Savings Certificate – It is a small savings and tax savings investment. It is issued for 5 and 10 years and considered as a government saving bond. Provides annualized return of 7.6% and qualifies for IT Rebate under 80C
• Atal Pension Yojana – It is targeted to the unorganized sector and provides pension benefits with a minimum contribution per month. Suitable for all individuals between 18 to 40 years of age.
• Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana – It is a life insurance scheme which was introduced by our late finance minister Arun Jaitley to increase the number of insurances in the country which is very low. The premium is Rs 330 every year.

These schemes are for both men and women but there are few social security schemes for women empowerment as well these schemes are as followed: 

• Mahila E-Haat – It is an online marketing platform which is launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development to support women entrepreneur. Women can register themselves at www.mahilaehaat-rmk.gov.in for showcasing their work to a larger audience. This initiative also comes under ‘Digital India’. 
• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao – This was launched in 2015 the initial funding of this scheme was 100 crore. It targets the clusters in  Punjab, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana. To bridge the gap between the birth of a girl child and boy government came up with this scheme to ‘Save Girl Child’. 
• One-Stop Centre Scheme – This scheme was implemented with the ‘Nirbhaya’ fund. This scheme is for the victims of violence and it provides services like shelter, legal, medical and counseling services under one roof. The toll-free helpline number is 181. 
• Working Women Hostel – The objective of this scheme is to promote safe accommodation for women in urban, semi-urban and rural areas. 
• Swadhar Greh – The Swadhar scheme was launched by the Union Ministry of Women and Child for the rehabilitation of women in tough circumstances. The beneficiaries include food, clothing, the shelter of vulnerable women. Mainly for a dowager, women released from jail and without family support. 
• Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) – The Support to Training and Employment Programme for Women (STEP) emphasizes on providing women with the necessary skills that give employability to women. This project will be for up to 5 years. Includes sectors like agriculture, horticulture, food processing, handlooms, tailoring, stitching, embroidery, zari, etc, handicrafts, computer & IT enable services along with soft skills and skills for the workplace such as spoken English, gems & jewellery, travel & tourism, hospitality, etc.

But even after these security schemes for women, there are still lakhs of workers who are not well known with the schemes. They need proper comprehensive documents and other information which usually they are not able to provide. There needs to be a proper layout of how these schemes should be known by all the workers and for that, the government has to take various measures such as Simplification of default penal charges, the mode of payment, removal of the closure of account after 24 months and conducting a meeting with the State Governments. 

In India, almost 94% of total women workers are engaged in the informal sector. Which constitutes a massive part of the informal sector. Due to the current pandemic, the situation in the informal sector has been devastating for workers especially women workers as not only do they face higher risks due to their social disadvantages but also they have fewer resources as compared to men working in the informal sector. It is time for our government to go beyond these schemes measures for formal sectors but also an emphasis on the informal sector as most of the people belong there. 

We Need a Comprehensive Social Security Schemes for Women

The Directive Principles of State Policy in Article 41 of the Constitution says that within the limits of its economic capacity, the State would provide “public assistance in cases of unemployment, old age, sickness, disablement, and in other cases of undeserved want” It is the responsibility of the state to provide with a social security scheme and shouldn’t be treated as a burden. Social Security Schemes for Women in India should be based on ILO’s social protection floor framework. It should be universal and should provide vulnerable groups with immediate reliefs. The state should also support the women’s participation in all aspects of administration as well as the informal sector including anganwadi workers.

These government-sponsored schemes are made to promote social welfare for women and for reducing poverty, malnutrition and improve the basic healthcare structure but due to ineffective implementation and inefficiencies in the system, we failed. These failures adversely impact the lives of women. The parameters and approach to social security schemes for women are guided by the Ministry of Labour and Employment but are also shaped with international standards which include nutrition, healthcare, housing, education, water and sanitation. The equalisation of schemes should also be considered and focused upon. There is an urgent need to effectively implement these social security schemes for women and to bridge the gap.

Strategy to Implement 

• The government should give the workers the right to leave with pay during the lockdown. The minimum wages for women workers should be increased by giving them a brief understanding about the different investment and security schemes. 
• States like Kerala have implemented recovery funds set up which help the workers recoup with the disposition of assets. 
• A reliable healthcare sector which has been given to the formal sector should be extended to the informal sector as well. 
• The scheme should not just be economically driven but should also be given on providing them with social equality amongst men. 
• Pension should be given importance as it is an integral part of social security. It should be examined with the central government and should be given at the right time and explain them in a simple manner.

For many years the Ministry of Labour and Employment is working on bringing a common body for universal social security. It’s high time the government implements it. Since independence, we have come a long way ahead and now we understand the needs of our workers who are the backbone of our country. Now we just need to act on it. 

The post A SOLUTION FOR SOCIAL SECURITY SCHEMES FOR WOMEN IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR appeared first on WISER WORLD.