This study examines the viability of working from home as an alternative to daily commuting for the working women of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region in India. Work from home has become a common practice in India following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the mentioned area of India people are known to commute for long distances daily to reach their workplaces, and the ability to work from home has led to saving a lot of time that otherwise used to be lost in commuting. Despite this, the present study argues that working from home is not free from drawbacks and the time spent commuting is not necessarily equivalent to time wasted, especially for working women. The study uses a mixed methodology involving primary and secondary data that are analysed qualitatively and quantitatively to derive the findings. The results derived reveals the disadvantages experienced by the working women of the study area as a result of working from their homes, as well as, brings out the importance and need for commuting in the daily lives of these working women.
PurposeThe lives of the poor in the urban spaces of India are filled with hardships. They live amidst poverty and struggle to survive within other problems such as insecure jobs, lack of proper housing, unsanitary conditions and low levels of health immunity. This vulnerable section of the population has been rendered furthermore vulnerable by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in ways that were never imagined before. Taking this into consideration, the purpose of this article is to examine the vulnerability of the poor in the urban settings of India with special reference to Mumbai in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology adopted in the study is based on the analysis of secondary data and content analysis of the existing literature. In addition to this, the study also makes use of certain narratives of the urban poor in Mumbai that have been captured by various articles, reports and blogs.FindingsThe findings of the study reveal how the urban poor of India, with special reference to Mumbai, the financial capital of India, has emerged as the worst sufferers of the socioeconomic crisis caused by the social distancing and lockdown measures imposed for combating the pandemic.Originality/valueThe study tries to explore the reality of the urban poor's right to the city in the wake of the pandemic.
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