Low-Income Women in India Hit Harder by COVID-19: Study

Women in poverty suffer heavier losses than men during the pandemic. Unwanted pregnancies and domestic violence also on the rise.

Women queue outside a post office to collect aid provided by the Telangana state government during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown in Secunderabad, India, on May 6, 2020. Noah Seelam/AFP via Getty Images

COVID-19 has punctured the livelihood of the poor in India, especially low-income women, most of whom are either deserted, widowed or shouldering the burden of care for their children, the old, and the sick. 

The scenario was more evident in rural India, where their mobility and social interactions within the community was impeded by male members, who were also at home, noted the study, published in the Asian Social Work and Policy Review in July.