Lockdown in COVID-19: A lockdown of equality

The COVID-19 pandemic brought most countries to its knees, throttling their economies, but with the pandemic also came the lockdown confining a majority of people behind the four walls. While the repercussions of such circumstances have affected everyone, the brunt faced by the marginalized sections of the society takes precedence. And for centuries now, women, especially of color, caste, class, and race, have been included in this section due to innate patriarchy, misogyny, and sexism that forced them to the status of the second sex. Therefore, the effects of a pandemic and lockdown should be looked at with the lens of gender because it affects them in different ways (Linde & Laya, 2020).

The meaning of lockdown for many has been a romantic narrative of “self-care,” “me time,” “creativity in isolation,” “pursuing hobbies,” or to enjoy watching mythological shows like Ramayana. Still, for half of the world, as Kain (2020) highlights in her article, “the lockdown means completely different from the purpose behind it.” A lockdown for many women means being locked down with their abuser 24/7 (Kain, 2020). The urgency and intensity of this situation are reflected from the soaring statistics of domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence across the world. As per the data compiled by the UN, countries including France, Argentina, Cyprus, Singapore have reported a rise in domestic violence cases varying from a percentage of 25-33% post the lockdown (“With Lockdown, Gender Violence,” 2020). Canada, Germany, Spain, the U.K., and the U.S. have also registered an increase in cases of domestic violence and demand for emergency shelter (“With Lockdown, Gender Violence,” 2020). Due to such horrifying statistics, the UN General Chief Antonio Gueterres appealed for a ‘ceasefire’ on domestic violence after “a horrifying global surge in domestic violence” (“With Lockdown, Gender Violence,” 2020).

In India, a country where domestic violence was already endemic, the National Commission for Women (NCW) reported an alarming rise of 94% in complaint cases, which largely accounted for domestic violence (Nigam, 2020). These complaints include those received through Whatsapp and phone calls. A 34% increase in phone calls on helpline numbers complaining about domestic violence was reported on a daily basis (Nigam, 2020). However, these are just the reported and recorded cases; there are several other cases ranging from physical injuries to severe brutalities, which do not get reported due to several reasons and constraints. Many women do not even realize the need to report or complain because of the normalization of domestic violence. Other constraints include a lack of awareness about the helpline numbers or and inaccessibility to mobile phones or safe conditions for lodging a complaint- complaining without being overheard. About 57% of women in India do not have access to mobile phones, and despite that, India is reporting a shocking surge in domestic violence cases (Kain, 2020). Several women domestic workers who work as ‘live-in’ maids in urban households are also victims of domestic abuse and harassment by their employers. The lockdown leaves them helpless in the captivity of such households.

On the other hand, the lockdown has worsened the problem of gender roles. Amidst a pandemic, apart from bearing the burden of the increased unpaid labor of household chores as the burden of ‘care’ unevenly falls on a woman (Uberoi, 1996), they would also shoulder the responsibility of looking after an infected person in the house, increasing their risk of getting infected (Linde & Laya, 2020). Increased household responsibilities due to the lockdown have also impacted women in the working sectors, who are grappling with striking a balance between office work and their roles as a wife, mother, and a daughter-in-law. Additionally, ‘work from home’ has resulted in exploitation of the employees as they find themselves working more than usual, and for a woman in India, whose unpaid labor doesn’t account for her workplace output, it is a detrimental circumstance. Therefore, the lockdown is bound to augment the vulnerability of women facing mental distress and other mental health problems.

The lockdown has also rendered several migrant laborers homeless. They were forced to walk back to their villages, which led pregnant women to carry heavy loads and walk miles of distance in the scorching summer heat without any comfortable footwear. It could have been a scary situation for menstruating women because they can neither afford to avail luxurious pads nor access toilets with acceptable hygiene conditions, especially when they are traversing along deserted roads and railway tracks!

The lockdown also has shut down physical classes for students, which paved the way for online classes under the government’s dream project of “digital India.” But seeking online education is a far-fetched reality for most of the country because online education is exclusionary as its deeply based on caste, gender, class, and region (Kain, 2020). Most women in India do not have equal access to mobile phones like men do. Owning a mobile phone is a taboo in many parts of society (Kain, 2020), and women are under constant suspicion of the men around her; father, brother, husband, or even the others. Only 29% of India’s female population uses the internet, revealing the wide digital gender gap in India (“Only 29% Internet Users,” 2017). Apart from this, parents also hesitate to hand over mobile phones to girls in fear of cybercrimes, which have increased post the lockdown as reported by the NCW (“Significant Increase in Cyber Crimes,” 2020). Complaints range from “abuse, indecent exposure, unsolicited obscene pictures, threats, malicious emails claiming their account was hacked, ransom demands, blackmail and more” (“Significant Increase in Cyber Crimes,” 2020).

The inaccessibility to online classes and exams forced a 14-year-old Dalit girl, Devika Balakrishnan, to commit suicide in a village in Kerala (Rakesh, 2020). The government released guidelines to start regular classes through online mediums despite the protest and warnings of Dalit and Tribal activists for ensuring digital infrastructure to all the marginalized sections because education, a fundamental right, is made a luxury when switched online. Therefore, online education may appear as the best alternative, but only for the upper rungs of society. Women who do not have the same freedom to use digital gadgets cannot comfortably seek education online in the stressful atmosphere of their homes (Kain, 2020). And this deprives women of their basic and equal right to education.

As identified by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2020), the elderly population is more vulnerable to the infection of COVID-19, it is essential to look at how the pandemic affects women across ages. Moreover, women account for a majority of the world’s old population, including India’s (Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2017). This indicates a pressing need for equal access to proper healthcare services as women tend to have lesser access to services than men (Linde & Laya, 2020). In the past, the provisions for sexual and reproductive health, including prenatal and postnatal care, and access to contraceptives and safe abortions were reduced in order to reallocate the resources in the crisis of epidemics (Linde & Laya, 2020). A similar instance occurred when sanitary napkins were not included in the list of products deemed as essential by the central government during the lockdown (Khar, 2020). At a time when one should be questioning how women at the frontline are managing while menstruating and donning the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), the fundamental element was missing. Hence the welfare of women is conveniently overlooked during such tough times when they should rather be supported. Such inequalities in access to resources and services are a major characteristic of women who bear the brunt of marginalization of not just being a woman, but a woman of a particular caste, class, color, religion, region, descent, or race.

The situation calls for an immediate need for better policies for the safety of women and their interests. It is important to support the marginalized society at times like this instead of abandoning them and their interests. It is the time for asking questions which scrutinize the existing steps and methods against the blueprint of the society’s hierarchical social structure. If it is a time when life should be given paramount importance, then why should this life be chosen based on prejudices and discrimination? Any country will truly be able to manage a pandemic only when it makes decisions according to its people’s interest that includes all its people with careful consideration of the oppressed and vulnerable.

References

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Kain, D. (2020, July 4). Of lockdown, domestic abuse, patriarchy, and women. The Armchair Journal. Retrieved from https://armchairjournal.com/of-lockdown-domestic-abuse-patriarchy-and-women/

Khar, S. (2020, March 31). Are Sanitary Napkins Not ‘Essential’ Enough to be COVID-19 Lockdown Exception? India.com. Retrieved from https://www.india.com/news/india/are-sanitary-napkins-not-essential-enough-to-be-covid-19-lockdown-exception-3987090/

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Rakesh, K. M. (2020, June, 2). Digital Divide Shadow On Girl Suicide. The Telgraph. Retrieved from https://www.telegraphindia.com/india/digital-divide-shadow-on-girl-suicide/cid/1777950#

“Significant” Increase In Cyber Crimes Against Women During Lockdown: Experts (2020, May 3), NDTV. Retrieved from https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/significant-increase-in-cyber-crimes-against-women-during-lockdown-experts-2222352#:~:text=There%20has%20been%20a%20significant,targeting%20them%20online%2C%20say%20experts.&text=complaints%20in%20February.-,The%20panel%20is%20taking%20complaints%20online%20due%20to%20the%20lockdown,%22tip%20of%20the%20iceberg%22.

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