The Indian economy has been plunged into severe economic uncertainties created by the global pandemic COVID-19. At the same time, there are also discussions on how the eruption, the spread and the aftermath of the virus will affect women. The numbers of women at work, their sustenance at the workplace, their pay, their career graph was already a matter of grave concern and a much-discussed global issue. Now, in light of the COVID-19 scenario, the following questions become imperative to address:·
Are we foreseeing worse days ahead?·
What has been the impact of COVID-19 on working women, both in urban and rural areas?·
Which are the sectors where women have become dispensable?·
How do we ensure that women are not further marginalized in these unprecedented times?
Against this backdrop, Confederation of Indian Industry ( CII ) in association with IWWAGE & Aquilaw has launched an E- Whitepaper on the Impact of COVID-19 on Working Women on 14 August 2020. The paper has scrutinized the long run repercussions the economic fallout of the pandemic will have on gender equality, both during different phases of the lockdown and thereafter. This paper attempts to deliberate upon the aforesaid issues and reflects on some measures that can help bring about recovery and resilience for women. The paper has analysed the data and underlying trends of women's employment in India, including in sectors where they tend to be employed.