Page 20 - Issue 01

rival – without any intention, exasperate the existing difference which has prevailed in the society? Did it
increase the differences between rich and poor and if yes, then how? Or did it provide opportunities to

those who were underprivileged? Did females, who have been traditionally victimized -showed greater
resilience during this pandemic? The answers to these questions are not so simple and straight. Many
factors played a critical role. No matter how hard we try, we may not be able to do complete justice to all
potential theories. But even if we are not able to thoroughly apprehend and appreciate the role of different
channels, still it’s worthwhile to make a small attempt in this direction. We first try to list down different
dimensions in which our lives have been affected. None of the aspects is less important than the other, and
each merits a detailed understanding.

To complement our hypothesis and to better untangle the linkages, we used the data collected by Young
Lives. The data has been collected for four countries: India, Ethiopia, Peru, and Vietnam. This data was
collected using a phone survey rather usually conducted than face-to-face surveys due to the onset of this
pandemic.

The total sample used for India were 2000 children from the Younger Cohort (YC), i.e., those who were born
in 2001-02, and the rest 1000 children from the Older Cohort (YC) who born in 1994-95 from Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana. In the first phone call (between June 2020 to July 2020), a total of 2,750 young
people (1,863 of Younger Cohort respondents aged 18, and 887 Older Cohort respondents aged 25 years old)
were questioned. The idea of this survey was to gauge the individual’s understanding of the pandemic.

In the second call (between August 2020 to October 2020), a total of 2,754 young people (1,868 Younger
Cohort respondents aged 18, and 886 Older Cohort respondents aged 25) were questioned. This time the
focus was primarily to look at the impact of Covid-19 on the labour market, education, and health of people.

Now, we come back to pertinent questions that this pandemic has raised. Who were the people who were
most affected by the virus in terms of their mental health? Was this enemy able to play on the individual's

vulnerabilities and pose a more emotional threat to one set of people relative to the others?
Did the adversaries that women faced right from their birth make them better prepared to take up the
challenge? Or were they subjected to more torment because of the increased burden of the household
chores and taking care of children?

From the data, we have created an anxiety score which can take a value from 0 to 9, a higher value
reflecting a higher value of anxiety. From the graph labelled "Mean Anxiety by Gender", it is evident that

the mean level of anxiety was higher for females relative to males. The possible reason for it, as validated
by the data, was the increased burden of household chores and taking care of children. A larger proportion
of females concurred that there was an increase in the time spent in taking care of child care. Similarly,
around 60 per cent of females agreed that the burden of the household chores increased. It's pertinent to
note that an already huge percentage of women are overwhelmed by household responsibilities and are

operating at the threshold level. Any addition to that load would greatly exhaust them.

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