While women’s empowerment and empowerment are widely talked about worldwide, the pandemic and its consequences continue to affect the lives of women in urban cities.
March is celebrated as Women’s History Month. While women’s empowerment and empowerment are widely talked about worldwide, the pandemic and its consequences continue to affect the lives of women in urban cities.
On the one hand, women constantly relied on family members and peers for a happy work-life balance, but a certain section of society lacked access to good health and nutrition. The GOQii Women’s Health Matters report 2022 states that the number of women with menstrual problems has increased to an average of 38.8% in 2021 compared to an average of 32.8% of female health problems in 2020. Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) has decreased by 31.2% increased by 9% from 2020.
There is a need for constant dialogue and interaction to improve access to many essential services, especially for adolescent girls in urban slums who are deprived of basic health and education services. The pandemic forced them to stay indoors; many were deprived of basic health and education services or access to services such as telephone for online classes, and instead were asked to do household chores. More than 68% of adolescent girls experienced difficulties accessing health and nutritional services; 67% did not take online classes during lockdowns; 56% did not have time to play and recreate outside during the lockdown.
The research-led study titled ‘The world of India’s girls-Wings 2022′ by NGO Save the Children, India, highlights the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on girls, with a focus on populations in urban slums. The research reveals the implications for girls’ access to health, education and opportunities for play and recreation, focusing on the changes that have taken place in the overall context of their insecurities. It also includes understanding the coping mechanisms employed by families to cope with increased health and nutritional insecurity, the abrupt decline in learning opportunities, and pressures on early marriages.
“India@100 cannot reach its full potential unless we secure 100% of its children today. The report highlights the risks our nation faces by failing to secure children. In particular, the fact that nearly half of his children in India @75 are unable to equitably secure their basic rights,” said Sudarshan Suchi, CEO of Save the Children, who conducted the survey in four states: Delhi Maharashtra, Bihar and Telangana.
Also professionally, a full-time WFH setup has been more challenging for women to handle the additional burden of managing household chores and fulfilling professional responsibilities, as most women in the past two years saw uncertainty in their careers or flexible working models chose. But a contrasting study from International Workplace Group (IWG), a provider of flexible office space, argues how work-life balance helped women choose their career paths and enabled them to be more productive. More than half (56%) agreed that hybrid work was positive for career development. In fact, 49% said they would consider leaving their jobs if they had to work from the office five days a week, demonstrating that hybrid work now plays an integral role in people’s daily lives. Women reported how hybrid work improved their mental health and a greater division of household and childcare responsibilities between them and their partner. However, with the financial benefits of hybrid working, which saves both time and money on the daily commute, women have been able to save more for home deposits thanks to flexible working hours.
“The pandemic has proven that people can be just as productive if they divide their time at home and in the office and it has highlighted the huge opportunity to improve working lives. For women, the hybrid model represents a critical opportunity to address existing inequalities at work and home and has unprecedented potential to
well-being, family life and career aspirations. There is a huge opportunity for employers to attract more female talent and add tremendous value to their business,” said Fatima Koning, group chief commercial officer at IWG.
This post The conundrum between men and women: Even as we celebrate Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, gender inequality is as great as ever
was original published at “https://www.financialexpress.com/lifestyle/the-gender-conundrum/2465323/”
