The condition of women in Nepal has further worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with many facing job losses, pay cuts, and domestic violence, and daily abuse.

A study South Asia Economic Policy Research COVID-19 and The  New Normal for Women in the Economy in Nepal paints a grim picture of the economic and social condition of women, who faced insurmountable problems during COVID-19 and the subsequent lockdowns in the Himalayan republic.

It stated that a large number of women working in the formal and informal sectors faced and continue to face pay-cuts since the start of the pandemic, while many were laid off.

The report highlighted the already challenging status of Nepali women which it said has been further compounded with increased unpaid household work and burgeoning instances of domestic violence and abuse in 2020, according to Nepali Times newspaper.

The study, which was carried out by a team of young Nepali women and men, aims at understanding the current socio-economic situation of Nepali women, Shilshila Acharya of the Himalayan Climate Initiative (HCI) which partnered with The Asia Foundation (TAF) on the report.

The study covered 401 women and 51 private sector firms from all seven provinces and focused on three major aspects affecting women during the pandemic including economic, psycho-social, and sexual and reproductive health.

“So many women have lost their jobs and income due to the pandemic. To help in their income generation, a lot of skill enhancement training, including digital, and entrepreneurship promotion work must be done,” Acharya was quoted by the newspaper.

The study documented respondents’ concerns on issues related to the marginalised communities, mainly women, and highlights how the lack of planning has led to womens’ inability to access contraceptives, increased chances of unintended pregnancies, and starkly high maternal mortality, among others. The impact on the mental health of women also increased during this period.

This study also included a survey with 51 female employers representing individual employers (households), Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and informal sector employers, and formal sector employers (large industries), including businesses primarily owned by women.

It found that 37 percent of businesses imposed a pay cut on female employees, out of which 58 percent had inflicted a 50 percent deduction in salary. More than half of the businesses surveyed had laid off 50 percent to 100 percent women employees.

A total of 631,000 female jobs are estimated to be at risk in the higher impact scenario. For women entrepreneurs, the pandemic has led to the closure of businesses, leading to financial distress and insecurity, the study added.

It also mentioned that many rural women farmers who also take informal loans on high-interest rates remain excluded from interest reduction schemes of the government and farmers on credit were struggling to repay loans.

A majority of women tenant farmers cannot access the government’s compensation  schemes because they have no land entitlement, it added.

Noting that inorder to avoid the risk of a permanent exit of women from the labor market, the report added that it is important to ensure assistance to the people currently working in the informal sector.

The lesson of the pandemic is that the informal economy needs to be registered in the government system and social security schemes for businesses. To prevent the progress related to work done on women’s rights from sliding back by decades, strategies are needed to support women not just during the pandemic but also in a post-pandemic world, the report further added.

According to Meghan Nalbo of TAF, “The data on differential economic impacts of COVID-19 validates a more accurate picture of reality against which policymakers, community leaders and women themselves can make decisions as part of the economic recovery we now face ahead of us as we crawl out of the COVID-19 recession.”