Intersectionality and Domestic Work: Gendered Impact of Covid-19 In India

Abstract

There is a dearth of empirical studies that documents the experiences of women, working in the informal sector, in dealing with Covid-19 induced hardships. There is a knowledge gap on how various informal sector workers survived the crisis and what role social security and social support played in bailing out the distressed workers. Using domestic workers of Lucknow as a case in point, this empirical research contributes to understanding how intersectionality plays a role in their ability to benefit from the (formal) social security and (informal) social support system. The study reveals four specific typologies of domestic workers viz. – precarious subjugates, marginally penurious, enterprising dexterous, and networked ingenious, based on their differential ability to gain from formal social security and (informal) social support The study found that rather than social support from close friends and relatives, the domestic workers relied more on the aid provided by the government and client households. Conceptually, this article integrates the formal social security and informal social support system to provide a holistic view of the ground realities of how women in informal sector survived the Covid-19 induced hardships.