Life in the Era of COVID-19 Impact on Women-VillageMakers of Bihar & Future Prospects

ISBN: 978-81-951187-4-8.
Publishing Year: 2021
Published by: IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute
Subject: Statistics and Development
Available as: E-Book

About the Report

High levels of female poverty, low female literacy and work participation rates, and high maternal and child mortality, indicate the extent of gender inequality in India. Women in rural parts of the country attend to their regular household care and other domestic activities (assumed to be feminine duties) and work in farms, either as paid or unpaid workers and caregivers. Moreover, there exists the phenomenon of out-migration from states like Bihar to other more developed states, due to lack of local livelihood opportunities. These circumstances, combined with poor socio-economic indicators, accentuate rural women’s
– VillageMakers’ – vulnerability, and the COVID-19 pandemic is compounding these.

Making of the Report

IMPRI Impact and Policy Research Institute, with the support of Centre for Catalyzing Change’s (C3) Sakshamaa Initiative, conducted a telephonic time-use survey in rural areas of the state of Bihar. The survey was conducted
during September and October 2020, and covered all 38 districts, hearing from 1039 VillageMakers in rural Bihar. Findings of the survey were discussed at a webinar held on January 29, 2021 conducted by IMPRI, in association with the Centre for Catalyzing Change (C3), New Delhi. Several policy recommendations emerged from this study and deliberation, which are shared in this report, along with the study findings.