• India CSR Awards 2025
  • Guest Posts
Sunday, August 31, 2025
  • Login
India CSR
  • Home
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Art & Culture
    • CSR Leaders
    • Child Rights
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Around the World
    • Skill Development
    • Safety
    • Covid-19
    • Safe Food For All
  • Sustainability
    • Sustainability Dialogues
    • Sustainability Knowledge Series
    • Plastics
    • Sustainable Development Goals
    • ESG
    • Circular Economy
    • BRSR
  • Corporate Governance
    • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Interviews
  • SDGs
    • No Poverty
    • Zero Hunger
    • Good Health & Well-Being
    • Quality Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Clean Water & Sanitation – SDG 6
    • Affordable & Clean Energy
    • Decent Work & Economic Growth
    • Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
    • Reduced Inequalities
    • Sustainable Cities & Communities
    • Responsible Consumption & Production
    • Climate Action
    • Life Below Water
    • Life on Land
    • Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
    • Partnerships for the Goals
  • Articles
  • Events
  • हिंदी
  • More
    • Business
    • Finance
    • Environment
    • Economy
    • Health
    • Around the World
    • Social Sector Leaders
    • Social Entrepreneurship
    • Trending News
      • Important Days
        • Festivals
      • Great People
      • Product Review
      • International
      • Sports
      • Entertainment
    • Case Studies
    • Philanthropy
    • Biography
    • Technology
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Gaming
    • Knowledge
    • Home Improvement
    • Words Power
    • Chief Ministers
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Art & Culture
    • CSR Leaders
    • Child Rights
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Around the World
    • Skill Development
    • Safety
    • Covid-19
    • Safe Food For All
  • Sustainability
    • Sustainability Dialogues
    • Sustainability Knowledge Series
    • Plastics
    • Sustainable Development Goals
    • ESG
    • Circular Economy
    • BRSR
  • Corporate Governance
    • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Interviews
  • SDGs
    • No Poverty
    • Zero Hunger
    • Good Health & Well-Being
    • Quality Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Clean Water & Sanitation – SDG 6
    • Affordable & Clean Energy
    • Decent Work & Economic Growth
    • Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
    • Reduced Inequalities
    • Sustainable Cities & Communities
    • Responsible Consumption & Production
    • Climate Action
    • Life Below Water
    • Life on Land
    • Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
    • Partnerships for the Goals
  • Articles
  • Events
  • हिंदी
  • More
    • Business
    • Finance
    • Environment
    • Economy
    • Health
    • Around the World
    • Social Sector Leaders
    • Social Entrepreneurship
    • Trending News
      • Important Days
        • Festivals
      • Great People
      • Product Review
      • International
      • Sports
      • Entertainment
    • Case Studies
    • Philanthropy
    • Biography
    • Technology
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Gaming
    • Knowledge
    • Home Improvement
    • Words Power
    • Chief Ministers
No Result
View All Result
India CSR
No Result
View All Result
Home Articles

Are women working in civil societies bearing the brunt from both sides?

India CSR by India CSR
December 15, 2020
in Articles, Prime
Reading Time: 5 mins read
Share Share Share Share

In the recent research by Sustainable Advancements with Aspire for Her Foundation on Women at Work 2020, a preliminary finding shows that majority of the women working in the civil society perceived that women were worse-off than men.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) refers to civil society as the “space for collective action around shared interests, purposes and values, generally distinct from government and commercial for-profit actors” (WHO, n.d.). The IGI Global goes a step forward and defines it as “a range of not-for-profit and non-governmental organizations that enable the expression of the interests and values of the public as well as their members for cultural, ethical, political, philanthropic, scientific, and religious considerations” (IGI Global, 2020).

In fact, the term civil society is derived from the Latin word ‘civil’ which in societies mean associations or communities that work above and beyond the state; thus, consisting of a host of institutions that look after the activities, which are not taken up by the state (Sociology Discussion, 2017). Very loosely, civil societies in India refer to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or non-profit organizations.

India boasts of over 3.4 million NGOs who are working for different social causes ranging from disaster relief to advocacy for vulnerable communities. As a part of civil society, they make a substantial contribution to rapid change and social transformation (Kumar, 2019). In India, this non-profit sector is also often perceived to be the domain of women (Manku, 2016; Gender at Work, 2016).

In the preliminary study by Sustainable Advancements and Aspire for Her Foundation, majority of women working in the civil society (highest among all the various sectors) perceived that women were worse-off than men. Some of the reasons were that most of these women work at the grass root level, which implied that although they themselves belonged to the formal sector, they directly interfaced with the informal sector, where women were worse off than men.

India CSR

The informal sector in India employs over 60% of the working women, according to the Public Affairs Centre’s (PAC) report for Southern Voice’s State of the SDGs initiative study, where options like working from home and virtual workspaces are not viable (Sivaraman, 2020). Moreover, the economy itself is going through a turmoil with only essential services having any market space. COVID-19 thus worsened the situation of these women due to current high unemployment rates and lack of financially rewarding work.

Moreover, their plight is often undocumented, unrecognized and not governed by social protection and minimum wage rights.  Besides, the uncertainty caused due to the urban-rural migration also has the potential to displace women employed in agriculture and other local industries, as men return to take over. This is expected to create a lot of job crunch for these earlier employed women. Moreover, world over, domestic violence is on a rise to the extent that the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a domestic violence ‘ceasefire’. Infact, in India the gender-based violence cases doubled during the first week of restricted movements (India Today, 2020).

Women working in civil societies often work with these vulnerable sections with the purpose of bringing in positive change and social transformation. Bearing witness to the increased plight of these vulnerable communities convinced them that women were worse off than men. According to Sabitri Sanyal, Monitoring Officer, Vocational Programme, Hope Kolkata Foundation “The social feeding that women have received in patriarchal societies – the victimization of women and ironically how many women have not been able to break the praxis” is one of the causes of their being worse off than men.

On the other hand, in their professional lives as well, women from the civil society were affected, as much of the funding priority for some of the issues that the civil societies were already working on got diverted to health care and other channels. One of the verbatims recorded in the survey pointed out “The likelihood of CSR funding has reduced substantially in a city with already very limited opportunities.

I’m seriously worried about when (and if) a suitable work opportunity will come my way.” Indian Corporations have come forward to show their solidarity in such trying times by whole-heartedly contributing to the Government funds through the PM Cares Fund, State Disaster Management Authority to combat COVID-19 (Mitra, Ghosh and Mehta, 2020). But, the fallout of this has been that this has diverted significant resources from smaller NGOs, who are now facing huge resource and financial shortage in tough times (Biyannal, 2020). Due to lack of funds, NGOs and civil society organizations are collapsing (Verma, 2020).

Moreover, the lockdown and subsequent social distancing rule greatly jeopardized the dynamics of the civil society organizations that strived on physical connect.

Thus, women working in this sector are witness to all kinds of women both in the formal and informal sector and their conditions. When majority of them conclude that women are worse off than men, it is indeed time for action.

Reference:

Byannal, Amruta. (2020). In India, prime minister’s relief fund for COVID-19 jeopardizes NGO sector. July 16,2020. Retrieved from https://www.devex.com/news/in-india-prime-minister-s-relief-fund-for-covid-19-jeopardizes-ngo-sector-97706 accessed on November 13, 2020.

Gender at Work. (2016). Gender Equality in the Non-Profit Sector in India. First published in India in 2016 by Institute of Social Studies Trust (ISST).

IGI Global. (2020). What is Civil Society? https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/civil-society/3863#:~:text=The%20term%2C%20civil%20society%2C%20refers,%2C%20scientific%2C%20and%20religious%20considerations.)

India Today, 2020). Coronavirus lockdown: UN chief urges end to domestic violence, citing global surge. https://www.indiatoday.in/world/story/coronavirus-lockdown-un-chief-urges-end-to-domestic-violence-citing-global-surge-1663731-2020-04-06

Kumar, S. (2019). India has been hostile to NGOs for decades. Modi made it worse. May 3, 2019. https://qz.com/india/1611326/india-has-been-hostile-to-ngos-for-decades-modi-made-it-worse/

Mitra N., Ghosh S., Mehta K. (2021) Corporate Influence and Social Responsibility in Global Health: Evidence from India. In: Haring R., Kickbusch I., Ganten D., Moeti M. (eds) Handbook of Global Health. Springer, Cham. http://doi-org-443.webvpn.fjmu.edu.cn/10.1007/978-3-030-05325-3_116-1

Manku, Moyna; 18 March 2016; Even in the non-profit sector, women are getting left behind; Live Mint. Accessed on April 10 2016, http://www.livemint.com/Companies/busG56HnYK2a6TeU9xcuSO/Even-in-thenon-profit-sector-women-are-getting-left-behind.html

Sivaraman, A. (2020). Impact of COVID-19 on India’s Female Labour Force Participation. http://southernvoice.org/impact-of-the-covid-19-on-indias-female-labour-force-participation/

Sociology Discussion. (2017). Civil Society: What do you mean by Civil Society? – Explained! https://www.sociologydiscussion.com/society/civil-society-what-do-you-mean-by-civil-society-explained/879).

Verma, Bhumika. (2020). Corporate Social Responsibility Affected by PM CARES Fund Due to COVID-19. July 15,2020. https://libertatem.in/articles/corporate-social-responsibility-affected-by-pm-cares-fund-due-to-covid-19/

WHO. (n.d.). Social determinants of health. https://www.who.int/social_determinants/themes/civilsociety/en/

The author can be reached at mitra.nayan@gmail.com and for more research findings log on to www.sustainableadvancements.com

IndiaCSR Whatsapp Channel
I AM PEACEKEEPER MOVEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
India CSR Awards 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
FKCCI CSR & Sustainability Conference 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
National STEM Challenge 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
Tags: Aspire for HerCivil SocietyNayan MitraWomen

India CSR offers strategic corporate outreach opportunities to amplify your brand’s CSR, Sustainability, and ESG success stories.

📩 Contact us at: biz@indiacsr.in

Let’s collaborate to amplify your brand’s impact in the CSR and ESG ecosystem.

India CSR

India CSR

India CSR is the largest media on CSR and sustainability offering diverse content across multisectoral issues on business responsibility. It covers Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability, and related issues in India. Founded in 2009, the organisation aspires to become a globally admired media that offers valuable information to its readers through responsible reporting.

Related Posts

Why India Needs Smart, Sustainable, and Regionally Inclusive Parks
Articles

Why India Needs Smart, Sustainable, and Regionally Inclusive Parks

4 days ago
Corporate Social Responsibility
Articles

Redefining Responsibility: How Global Regulations Are Shaping the Future of CSR Transparency

6 days ago
Lodha envisions carbon neutrality in operations by 2035, Says Abhishek Lodha, MD & CEO, Lodha Group
Articles

India, STEM, CSR, and Lodha’s Commitment to Mathematics

1 week ago
Gadchiroli
Articles

Gadchiroli’s Next Chapter: Inclusive Growth and the Making of an Inclusive Economy

2 weeks ago
India philanthropy
Articles

From Counting to Caring: Why Indian Philanthropy Must Invest in Trust, Not Just Outputs 

3 weeks ago
Sustainability
Articles

How Project Management Can Ensure the Achievement of Environmental Goals for India’s Green Wall Initiative

4 weeks ago
Load More
I AM PEACEKEEPER
ADVERTISEMENT
India CSR Awards
ADVERTISEMENT
India CSR Awards
ADVERTISEMENT
National STEM Challenge
ADVERTISEMENT

LATEST NEWS

Farmers in Raigarh Demand Action Against Ind Synergy Limited’s Land Encroachment, Fly Ash Dumping

Who is Manoj Tumu, 23-Year-Old Who Quit Amazon for Rs 3.36 Crore Meta AI Job

Jindal Steel to Pay ₹160 Crore for Ecological Damage in Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, Rules NGT

Cash Profit: Meaning, Importance, and Role in Business Growth

Raigarh: Jindal Steel Slapped with ₹16.75 lakh Penalty for Environmental Violations

PPP Airports Drive 87% Non-Aero Revenues, Flyers to Hit 600M by 2030

TOP NEWS

Ventive Hospitality, Panchshil Foundation Support Cochlea Pune Kids

Hindustan Zinc Partners with Epiroc to Advance Digital Safety Technologies in Mining

RBI Data Shows Net Liquidity Absorption of ₹1.79 Lakh Crore on August 25

Multi-Metal Future to be Hindustan Zinc’s strategic imperative as part of 2x growth strategy, says Priya Agarwal Hebbar

India Achieves 2030 Clean Energy Target 5 Years Early, says PM Modi

RBI Absorbs ₹1,83,26,34,20,000 Liquidity Through Operations on August 27

Load More
STEM Learning STEM Learning STEM Learning
ADVERTISEMENT

Advertisement

Image Slider
content writing services Guest Post Top 5 Reasons to have Sponsored Posts at India CSR – India’s Largest CSR Media R2V2 Technologies Private Limited

Interviews

Jayatri Dasgupta, CMO of PayNearby and Program Director of Digital Naari
Interviews

Empowering Rural Women: An Interview with Jayatri Dasgupta, CMO, PayNearby & Program Director, Digital Naari

by India CSR
August 27, 2025

Empowering Women at the Last Mile: A Conversation on Digital Naari’s Social Impact By Rusen Kumar NEW DELHI (India CSR): Jayatri...

Read moreDetails
Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala

Peace A Shared Responsibility: Dr. Huzaifa Khorakiwala

August 23, 2025
Dr. V. Kumar - Director of The Lodha Mathematical Sciences Institute (LMSI) Mumbai

Mathematics Will Drive India’s Development: An Exclusive Interview with Prof. V. Kumar Murty

August 22, 2025
Elevate 2025: Music, Movement, and Mentorship Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders

Elevate 2025: Music, Movement, and Mentorship Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders

August 14, 2025
Load More
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook Twitter Youtube LinkedIn Instagram
India CSR Logo

India CSR is the largest tech-led platform for information on CSR and sustainability in India offering diverse content across multisectoral issues. It covers Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), Sustainability, and related issues in India. Founded in 2009, the organisation aspires to become a globally admired media that offers valuable information to its readers through responsible reporting. To enjoy the premium services, we invite you to partner with us.

Follow us on social media:


Dear Valued Reader

India CSR is a free media platform that provides up-to-date information on CSR, Sustainability, ESG, and SDGs. They need reader support to continue delivering honest news. Donations of any amount are appreciated.

Help save India CSR.

Donate Now

donate at indiacsr

  • About India CSR
  • Team
  • India CSR Awards 2025
  • Partnership
  • Guest Posts
  • Services
  • Content Writing Services
  • Business Information
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Donate

Copyright © 2025 - India CSR | All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
×
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Art & Culture
    • CSR Leaders
    • Child Rights
    • Culture
    • Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Around the World
    • Skill Development
    • Safety
    • Covid-19
    • Safe Food For All
  • Sustainability
    • Sustainability Dialogues
    • Sustainability Knowledge Series
    • Plastics
    • Sustainable Development Goals
    • ESG
    • Circular Economy
    • BRSR
  • Corporate Governance
    • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Interviews
  • SDGs
    • No Poverty
    • Zero Hunger
    • Good Health & Well-Being
    • Quality Education
    • Gender Equality
    • Clean Water & Sanitation – SDG 6
    • Affordable & Clean Energy
    • Decent Work & Economic Growth
    • Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure
    • Reduced Inequalities
    • Sustainable Cities & Communities
    • Responsible Consumption & Production
    • Climate Action
    • Life Below Water
    • Life on Land
    • Peace, Justice & Strong Institutions
    • Partnerships for the Goals
  • Articles
  • Events
  • हिंदी
  • More
    • Business
    • Finance
    • Environment
    • Economy
    • Health
    • Around the World
    • Social Sector Leaders
    • Social Entrepreneurship
    • Trending News
      • Important Days
      • Great People
      • Product Review
      • International
      • Sports
      • Entertainment
    • Case Studies
    • Philanthropy
    • Biography
    • Technology
    • Lifestyle
    • Sports
    • Gaming
    • Knowledge
    • Home Improvement
    • Words Power
    • Chief Ministers

Copyright © 2025 - India CSR | All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.