Covid impact: More women have exited formal employment in India than men

Of the more than half a million women who exited the formal workforce and did not join back, two-thirds were under 35 years of age. By comparison, only a third of men under 35 exited formal employment

On May 31, preliminary Gross domestic product (GDP) data released by the ministry of statistics and planning indicated that the Indian economy had contracted 7.3 per cent in 2020-21. While the GDP data do indicate the extent to which Covid-19 and resultant lockdowns had impacted the economy, they do not portray the extent of the disruption.
 
Covid-19 has exacerbated the rich-poor divide — an Oxfam report highlights that Indian billionaires increased their wealth by 35 per cent during lockdown last year — but it has also set the country back in terms of female empowerment.
 
A Business Standard analysis of