Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Women

SARS-CoV-2 virus, leading to the COVID-19 pandemic, was first recognized in 2019. The impact of the crisis is never gender-neutral, and COVID-19 is no exception. While everyone is facing unprecedented challenges, women bear the brunt of the economic and social fallout of COVID-19. Hygiene and nutritional aspects are important parameters for the assessment of the overall health and well-being of a person. This chapter has shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and how their sanitary/hygiene routine has been impacted in the current scenario. Through an online questionnaire survey with 510 women, the overall impact on their lives, including health and hygiene and nutritional practices, is presented as a case study. 69.4% of women reported spending some time on a physical fitness regime, and 66.2% of them believed that wearing a mask can reduce the risk of infection. 56.3% of women reported no side effects related to masks, however, 25.6% of women reported breathing issues whereas, skin rashes and itching and ear pain were some other symptoms reported. Women became more careful about their health during the pandemic, and 73.1% of them reported to have consumed additional measures to boost their immunity, and 74.4% of the women reported that their fruit intake increased during the pandemic. 52.2% of the respondents also reported consuming some health supplements. The awareness can be linked to educational status as the majority of respondents had university degrees, out of which 33.5% were graduates, and 30% were post-graduates.