No.49 Risks and vulnerabilities among women in internal migrant households in India in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: Strengthening the social protection floor through a gender perspective

On a global scale, India has one of the highest populations of internal migrants , with the majority engaged in short-term and seasonal movement. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in India caused severe challenges to people’s lives and livelihoods. Migrant families, especially in the lower strata, faced the stiffest challenges of coping with the unprecedented crisis. While there have been many studies that have attempted to delineate the hardships of migrant families during COVID in general, only a few have examined the vulnerability of women living in these households and how social protection measures helped them to overcome the crisis. The goal of this study is to identify the risks and specific ways that left-behind and accompanying women in households with internal migrants are more vulnerable, as well as to highlight policy gaps in social protection for these vulnerable migrants. Using qualitative research methods, the current study elicited primary information from adult women from internal migrant households in Bihar—a state with a large volume of outmigration—and slums in Delhi, a popular destination for migrants from other states. This study argues that the COVID-19 pandemic further deepened the pre-existing gender inequalities and exacerbated vulnerabilities in terms of the individual agency of women and their economic, social, familial, and political conditions. To strengthen the social protection floor in India, it is critical to design policies that prioritize women and ensure they receive maximum support while services are delivered during and after crises.

Keywords: COVID-19, Internal Migrants, Gender, Risks and Vulnerability, Social Protection