Urban Agenda

Managing Editor Women wear many hats from office CEOs, to mothers and home makers. Life during the lockdown has been harsher to them than men. The exercise of unlock down has begun but the new normal in cities really needs to be different for them from now on T here has been spike in domestic violence cases being reported to women helpline numbers and civil society organizations working with women during the long lockdown. there are less women on urban streets than usual. And, the women those are out on work are in majority health workers. It is to be noted that a majority of our health care workers in cities and villages are nurses. They are vulnerable to This was just the one infection because they are the ones who facet of serious problem are in contact with patients and they are of gender based issues; there are many the ones who go from village to village more and these need due attention. distributing sanitary pads, food, and so

If we look at our cities and their on. So, it is really important to engage planning, we will find that women are them in decision making process and generally ignored. A noted a in laying guidelines for locking down or Dutch-American sociologist Saskia un-locking. Sassen highlighted this in one of her United Nations General Secretary articles in Harvard Design Magazine, a has feared that with the spread of the few years ago, saying, “Urban planning is COVID-19 pandemic even the limited not gender neutral. While there has long gains made in the past decades (in the been research on how urban systems area of gender equality) are at risk of fail to respond to women’s needs, it being rolled back. The pandemic is was only a decade ago that the subject deepening pre-existing inequalities, surged. Since then, countless cities have exposing vulnerabilities in social, been host to initiatives addressing a political and economic systems which version of the “urban planning gender are in turn amplifying the impacts of gap.” Though “gendering” still refers the pandemic. Similarly, there are many overwhelmingly to a female-male divide, state governments in India which have today it is taking on an expanded range proposed certain changes in labour of meaning within the household and laws and it is going to affect the women the city. workforce in multiple ways. Many

If we think about the pandemic, suggestions have come from women urban services and gender issues, organizations worldwide to avoid then women could become victims. making life difficult for A working woman in a metropolitan female workforce. city would not leave a toddler in a There is a need for urban planners crèche fearing COVID infection and and policy makers to relook at urban it would result in devoting more time planning and governance too to for family. As women take on greater make life easier for women. The first care demands at home, their jobs will start could be redesigning our public also be disproportionately affected by transport systems. They should become cuts and lay-offs. The COVID situation safe, convenient, affordable and has increased ‘Unpaid care work’ with accessible. And, another important step children out-of-school, heightened care could be engagement of women from needs of older persons and overwhelmed different strata of society in decision health services. This is a visible reality. If making and this can start at local level you have gone out in any city during this for having a positive spiral impact in pandemic, you must have witnessed that everyone’s life.