Ziqitza Limited - Bringing Women Back TO Workforce
                     Ziqitza Limited - Bringing Women Back TO Workforce
It is a fact that around 120 million workers in India lost their jobs 
overnight in March 2020, when the nationwide lockdown was 
imposed owing to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. 
Ziqitza Healthcare Ltd, one of the leading healthcare institutions in 
the country, cites it as one of the worst humanitarian crises in the 
modern history of India, wherein millions of migrant workers were 
left jobless and displaced in a matter of hours. Images and media 
reports of hordes of people walking back to their distant villages in 
the absence of transportation due to lockdown, was a harrowing 
sight. 
 
Ziqitza further states that the majority of these workers who were 
rendered jobless were employed in the informal sector, and half of 
them were women. Ziqitza healthcare refers to recent media 
report which states that during the lockdown, out of the total 
percentage of working men and women, 47% women permanently 
lost their jobs compared to just 7% men. 
The pandemic has the worst affected women. As per the 
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation 13.8 % of 
microenterprises in India are owned by women and are 
operational in sectors like beauty, education, tourism, food, 
retail etc. These sectors have been pillaged the worst by the 
pandemic. 
 
Ziqitza Rajasthan points out those women in India traditionally 
face inequalities and are subjected to gender roles and 
stereotypes, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only worsened the 
gap. Due to existing inequalities, women have been more 
vulnerable and susceptible to economic disparities created by 
the pandemic. Ziqitza Limited is of the opinion that now that 
India is rebuilding its economy and that it is on a recovery path, 
this is an opportune time to bring back women to the workforce 
and empower them as force multipliers.
A new India can only be built, when India’s female workforce 
participation is improved, and when females have access to equal 
economic and social opportunities. ZHL Rajasthan points out few 
areas of improvement, where policy makers, civil society 
organisations, corporations, volunteers etc can focus to improve and 
increase female workforce participation.
1. Reskilling & Upskilling: India needs to invest in programmes that 
focus at providing vocational training and skill development training to 
women. These training programmes can be categorically created and 
designed for women from the vulnerable sections of the society. 
Government with the help of the private sector can mobilise women 
self groups to implement reskilling and upskilling programmes in rural 
areas. These programmes empower and enable women with 
necessary skill sets and increase their employability chances.
2. Promoting Digital Education: Girls from the underserved and 
underprivileged sections of the society have been worst affected due 
to shutdown of the schools. Lack of access to infrastructure and 
resources have stopped them from adopting the new digital mode of 
education. Ziqitza Limited Rajasthan elaborates that this has resulted 
in increased incidences of girls dropping out from schools. Private 
sector can extend its resources and aid them by providing devices to 
access the internet, or can set up computer labs in partnership with 
NGOs and build an enabling environment for them.
3. Livelihood Promotion Programmes: Self Help Groups have an important 
role to play in empowering women. SHGs are a bulwark for women and the 
government along with various other stakeholders such as NGOs and 
corporates, can partner with them to implement livelihood promotion 
programmes for women. SHGs have an extensive reach even to the 
remotest corners of the country, thereby can prove extremely beneficial. 
For example, SHGs can promote and improve market linkages for 
handicrafts and tribal products, thereby generating livelihood 
opportunities.
4. Nursing Programmes for Women: Ziqitza health care limited explains that 
the pandemic adversely affected the women in the informal sector and 
crippled them with no security net. Government must look at undertaking 
rehabilitation projects for such women. For example, the government can 
partner with healthcare providers and offers nursing training programemes 
for women from marginalised section of the society, and in turn create 
livelihood opportunities for them. These programmes can be supported by 
corporates wherein they can collaborate with date governments, NGOs and 
implement healthcare trainings programmes at panchayat levels.
Women must become an equal partner in the workforce. No country 
can gain success, if half of its workforce is jobless and faces 
inequalities. Creating a gender-equal workforce is a gargantuan task 
and requires participation from all stakeholder groups.