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The pandemic has certainly toppled our lifestyle and derailed human life and perspectives. A lot of us have lost jobs, family members, access to resources and education. The world as we know it has come into question. The pandemic has also become an opportunity for ‘disaster patriarchy’, something that has got feminist really worried.
Disaster patriarchy is parallel to Naomi Klein’s ‘disaster capitalism’ which points out to the exploitation of disasters to serve pro-corporate profitable ends which would otherwise have been difficult to implement under normal conditions. Disaster patriarchy is the opportunistic use of a crisis, the pandemic in this case, to reinforce patriarchal norms and male dominance. It signals the reversal of feminist progress made in the due course of 100 years.
V (formerly Eve Ensler), in her famous essay “Disaster patriarchy: how the pandemic has unleashed a war on women”, identifies the resurgence of four common feminist issues across the globe over the course of the pandemic- violence against women, loss of economic power, curbed education and a loss of autonomy.
Many countries witnessed a 15-30% increase in the influx of distress calls from women in 2020. In India, within a fortnight of implementing the first nationwide lockdown, the National Commission for Women reported a 100% rise in domestic violence complaints. The sudden economic insecurity, isolation, loss of jobs and psychological stress in families has contributed to the surge in violence against women. The several lockdowns encumbered reporting which in turn affected timely aid to women in distress. The functioning of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was not recognized as an essential service during lockdown and hence a number of NGOs remained curbed. Governments have been widely criticised for not anticipating the rise in harassment and building relief systems for women. The problem still persists. Homes have turned into torture chambers and women continue to be victimised.
On par with that of violence is the effect of sudden economic deprivation. An Oxfam India report found that 17 million women had been laid off in April 2020. This increased the pre-pandemic unemployment rate among women (18%) by 15%. The existing gender pay gap meant fewer savings for women, which translated to a more malignant financial crisis after job loss. As women are largely employed in informal work set ups, it is feared that a greater number of the population will be pushed to severe poverty.
Pre-pandemic India saw a promising rise in female literacy rates. As such, the switch to digital classroom has left a significant section of the population behind. With the pandemic augmenting penury, more girls are likely to be forced into informal labour or child marriage and discontinue their education. With schools shutting down, the factors which encouraged girl child enrolment, such as the mid-day meal schemes have been rendered invalid. Poor families no longer have reasons to send their daughters to school. The curbing of education hampers social progress, and poverty will become a lifelong burden for such families.
Any disaster finds women the worst affected, be it water scarcity, poor sanitation, war or a pandemic. Feminist movements, right from the first wave which sought suffrage for women, have travelled an arduous course towards gender parity such as reproductive rights, equal pay and access to education. The most significant among them are the numerous discussions that have spurred against patriarchy. That the pandemic has reversed a lot of feminist achievements is a bitter pill to swallow. Nevertheless, it is an opportunity to recalibrate and work towards formulating more durable systems of gender justice.