GUWAHATI, July 24 - The Women Study Centre of Karmashree Hiteswar Saikia College here organised a webinar on the topic �Gender Implication of Covid-19 Pandemic� on Wednesday, according to a press release.
Inaugurating the webinar, the State�s renowned artiste and cinema personality Chetana Das spoke at length on how women in Indian society had been playing a primary role in every walk of life � be it education, agriculture, household works, etc., till the emergence of a feudalistic society. She also spoke on how, in the past, Assamese society used to observe general norms of health and hygiene and how women played an important role in it. Das also enlivened the occasion with her popular acting performances.
Resource person Dr Alpana Borgohain, former head of the Department of Women Studies, Gauhati University, focused on the impact of the Covid-19-induced situation on the domestic and professional life of women. With the lockdown in place private residences are becoming very busy places where women have to take up greater responsibilities in regard to their children�s education, maintaining hygiene of the household, increasing loads of chores, etc. while attending to their own professional duties online.
Dr Borgohain also referred to the plight of the migrant female workers during the lockdown which is not covered by media reports. Further, during this period biological circumstances of women put them at higher risk when they have to go medically unattended during their pregnancy, or other related health issues. She stressed the need for a good number of critical political leaders, administrators and social workers for addressing women�s issues and challenges in the post Covid-19 situation.
Earlier, delivering the welcome address, Dr Sikhamoni Konwar, Principal of the host college, spoke on different aspects of deepening gender inequalities during the Covid-19 pandemic. She reflected on the rising issues of domestic violence, loss of job and growing financial insecurities among women as a result of the disease. She observed that all should come up with means and measures to safeguard the place and position that women have obtained traversing a long history of struggle, cautioning that otherwise families would be disoriented and society would go astray.
The webinar was jointly coordinated by Dr Saswoti Baruah Bhuyan, Dr Marami Choudhury and Dr Ranjan Kumar Bhatta.
