National lockdowns during covid were associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety as well as food insecurity among women in India, finds a research.
Women whose social position may make them more vulnerable and those living in female-headed households experienced even larger declines in mental health as a result of lockdowns founds the study, at the university of California san Diego in the US.
The team conducted telephonic surveys in northern India in august 2020, near the height of the first covid-19 wave in India. The findings, revealed that women reported a 44 per cent increase in anxiety, 38 per cent increase in depression, and a 73 per cent increase in exhaustion.
“Not having access to work and socialisation outside the home can be very detrimental for women’s mental health in developing countries,” said Gaurav Khanna, assistant professor of economics at the varsity’s school of global policy and strategy.
“We found in our study, the consequences of lockdown policies are exacerbated for women. We hope policymakers in developing countries and beyond know what the implications are for these policies, especially for those in vulnerable positions because if there is another wave, communities could be faced with similar lockdowns,” Khanna added.
“We suspect the impact on women and mothers in particular was also exacerbated,” Khanna said. “When kids are not in school, or day-care, the burden usually falls on women because of traditional gender roles with child care. Policymakers should be cognisant of the fact that women are going to be impacted differently by these policies.”
