Impact of Pandemic on Female Labor Force Participation: A Study of Female Working in Garment Sector of Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

The study's goal was to find out how COVID-19 affects female who work in the garment industry in Lahore, which is in the Pakistani province of Punjab. The research looked at how badly the female labor force had to deal with the economic crisis during COVID-19. It also looked at the effects of state-run social protection mechanisms that the female labor force could use or not use. The universe for the study was female working in the garment industry of Lahore. A simple random sampling method was used to select the sample (n=250) from different factories in Lahore, Pakistan. A structured questionnaire was developed using deductive logic to collect data from respondents. Data was collected during the month of August, 2022 retrospectively. According to the findings, there is a significant impact of COVID-19 on female labor participation and economic crisis (unemployment) on women laborers working in garment industry. It was also found that majority of the women are not aware of the state operated social protected system. Those who were aware, showed dissatisfaction with the financial aid provided by state. However, they were satisfied with the provision of medical services during pandemic. It is suggested that state should develop sustainable policies regarding source of earning during pandemic and other natural disasters.