Women are likely to carry a higher burden during the current crisis than men. Despite only 20% of all Indian women being employed, 90% of them are involved in informal employment, thus facing the associated vulnerabilities. The vulnerability of women extends beyond a disproportionate loss of income. Due to their lower social status, women in India are likely to suffer disproportionately from food shortages and price hikes, thus having higher chances than men of going hungry….
Muslims form another vulnerable group. First, they are more likely to be employed in vulnerable segments of the informal sector than other religious groups. According to a report, a mere 23% of the Muslim urban households earn their livelihoods through regular wage employment compared to 42% of all urban households. Their incidence of relying on non-agricultural self-employment is 25%, compared to 14% for Hindu households….
Scheduled castes (SC) are a particularly vulnerable constituency. Unsurprisingly, SC members were more susceptible to going hungry than other groups. A survey revealed that the proportion of households with less-than-usual food consumption in September 2020 was higher among SC members (56%) than among households belonging to other castes (42%).
From ‘Poverty in India in the Face of Covid-19: Diagnosis and Prospects’, Review of Development Economics