A Study on Impact of Covid-19 on Informal Women Workers with Special Reference Pallapalayam, Karur (Dt) of Tamilnadu

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of human life worldwide and presents an unprecedented challenge to public health, food systems and the world of work. The economic and social disruption caused by the pandemic is devastating: tens of millions of people are at risk of falling into extreme poverty, while the number of undernourished people, currently estimated at nearly 690 million, could increase by up to 132 million by the end of the year. The precarious nature of employment of women informal workers is examined using data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (2018–19). To capture the gendered experiences of informal workers during the lockdown period, data from a series of rapid assessment studies is used. It was found that the unequal gendered division of domestic chores existed even before the onset of the pandemic, but the COVID-19- induced lockdowns have further worsened the situation. In terms of paid employment, women tend to work in risky, hazardous and stigmatised jobs as front-line health workers, waste-pickers, domestic workers, but do not receive the minimum wages as specified by the government. In the present study, an attempt was made to examine at micro level and the various aspects of impact of covid-19 of informal women workers in Pallapalayam, Karur (Dt) Of Tamilnadu. An attempt was also made to find if socio economic conditions of informal women workers, financial status and problems faced during the pandemic period.