Missed Pauses and Everyday Interactions for Migrant Indian Women during COVID-19 Times

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.sidebar##

Cover image: A mural by Anne Siems, titled 'Beauty + Terror', in Seattle. Picture by Catherine Anstett (2020).
PDF
Published: Nov 30, 2020
DOI: https://doi.org/10.32891/jps.v5i3.1295
Keywords:
migrant women Indian pauses everyday interacions COVID-19

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.main##

SriPallavi Nadimpalli
University of Melbourne

Abstract

The time-space activities for women largely emerge from the relational needs and demands of others in their lives. Davies (2003) explains that as women take on multiple roles in both public and private spheres, they often have limited time for a pause. Drawing from Snow and Brissett (1986), Davies explains that these pauses are moments of relaxation, re-energising or reflection, which are essential for an individual’s well-being. Findings from 20 interviews conducted with migrant women in Hyderabad, India, showed that these pauses were necessary and integral to their everyday spatial routines at home and work. In addition to giving respite from daily chores at home, pauses helped establish social connections and form an attachment with a new place as migrants. This paper reflects on how these pauses can be impacted during COVID-19 times, especially when migrant women continue to experience an increased share of responsibilities at home due to patriarchal expectations and limited movement outdoors due to the lockdown restrictions in India. 

##plugins.themes.bootstrap3.article.details##

How to Cite
Nadimpalli, S. (2020) “Missed Pauses and Everyday Interactions for Migrant Indian Women during COVID-19 Times”, The Journal of Public Space, 5(3), pp. 115–120. doi: 10.32891/jps.v5i3.1295.
Issue
Vol. 5 No. 3 (2020): 2020: A Year without Public Space under the COVID-19 Pandemic
Section
Space

The Authors retain copyright for articles published in The Journal of Public Space, with first publication rights granted to the journal.
Articles in this journal are published under the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial Licence (CC-BY-NC) - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.
You are free to:
• Share - copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
• Adapt - remix, transform, and build upon the material
Under the following terms:
• Attribution - You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
• NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes.

 

Author Biography

SriPallavi Nadimpalli, University of Melbourne

SriPallavi Nadimpalli is a PhD candidate in urban planning at the Faculty of Architecture, Building, and Planning. She is passionate about exploring gender intersections in planning and design to co-create inclusive spaces for all. She holds a master’s degree in Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has a background in Architecture. She has previously worked in both public and private sectors in the fields of planning, real estate, and research in India and United States, for over six years.

References

Antonsich, M. (2010) 'Searching for Belonging - An Analytical Framework', Geography Compass, 4(6), 644-659, available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1749-8198.2009.00317.x.

Census of India (2011) CensusInfo India Dashboard, available: https://censusindia.gov.in/2011-common/censusdata2011.html [accessed February 2019].

Davies, K. (2003) 'Responsibility and Daily Life: Reflections over timespace' in May, J. and Thrift, N., eds., Timespace: geographies of temporality Routledge, 133-148.

Law, R. (1999) 'Beyond 'women and transport': towards new geographies of gender and daily mobility', Progress in Human Geography, 23(4), 567-588.

Phadke, S., Khan, S. and Ranade, S. (2011) Why loiter?: Women and risk on Mumbai streets, Penguin Books India.

Rose, G. (1993) 'Women and Everyday Spaces' in Feminism and geography : the limits of geographical knowledge Polity Press, 17-40.

Snow, R.P. and Brissett, D. (1986) 'PAUSES: EXPLORATIONS IN SOCIAL RHYTHM', Symbolic Interaction, 9(1), 1-18, available: http://dx.doi.org/10.1525/si.1986.9.1.1.

Tuan, Y.-F. (1979) 'Space and place: humanistic perspective' in Gale, S. and Olsson, G., eds., Philosophy in Geography.Theory and Decision Library (An International Series in the Philosophy and Methodology of the Social and Behavioral Sciences) Springer, 387-427.

Whitzman, C. (2013) 'Women's safety and everyday mobility' in Whitzman, C., Legacy, C., Andrew, C., Klodawsky, F., Shaw, M., Viswanath, K., ed., Building inclusive cities women's safety and the right to the city, Routledge, 35-52.