January 3, 2021
UPDATED: January 8, 2021 15:56 IST
The art of adjustment: Children play cricket in their home in Amritsar during the lockdown, April 2020. (Photo: Prabhjot Gill)
On balance, it s probably fair to say that the pandemic has proved to be the greatest leveller of our time. Lives and livelihoods have got punctuated by new challenges and everyone s everyday has transformed in ways that recall apocalyptic zombie movies. As Anurita Jalan, associate professor of sociology at Maitreyi College, University of Delhi, says, Covid-19 has redefined relationships from macro to micro levels, impacting society, individuals and the family and their inter-relationships. With individuals carving out work spaces within their homes, gender relationships are being redrawn. Unfortunately, a common work-home physical space has not just meant shared household chores, it has also manifested itself in the form of increased domestic violence against women and children.