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The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed a global economic crisis with deep and differential impacts on various social groups, especially women and marginalized communities. In India, the crisis disproportionately affected women in multiple spheres—productive, reproductive, and social—deepening pre-existing gender inequalities. Focusing on the productive sphere and situating the discussion within the development and informal economy context, we can understand how structural inequalities intensified the vulnerability of women and diverse groups. ### Pre-pandemic Gendered Economic Landscape in India Before the pandemic, India already had one of the lowest female labour force participation rates (FLFPR) globally. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2018–19, the FLFPR was around 24% compared to 74% for men. A significant proportion of women were engaged in the informal sector, constituting about 91% of the female workforce (ILO, 2018). These women lacked social security, job security, and access to formal institutional support. Women were overrepresented in sectors that were among the hardest hit by the lockdown and economic shutdowns—such as domestic work, garment and textile industries, construction, street vending, and agriculture. They also carried the unpaid burden of care work, which expanded due to school closures and overwhelmed health systems. ### Impact on Employment and Income The CMIE (Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy) data indicates that during the initial national lockdown in April 2020, 122 million people lost their jobs. Women accounted for 23% of these job losses, although they represented a much smaller fraction of the workforce. ________ ___ __________ _______ __________ _________ ____ ___ _________ ___ ___.
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