The Covid 19 pandemic and its related challenges have posed new barriers for women who have had to juggle multiple responsibilities at home and office all at one time. A report published today by Dhaka Tribune marking the International Women’s Day said that the pandemic has shown how the existing social structure still hurts women.

The International Women’s Day this year has a special theme–“Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a Covid -19 world.” This year, the International Women’s Day holds significant importance as it essentially celebrates “the tremendous efforts by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future and recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic.

According to the Dhaka Tribune report, “domestic violence was off the charts, child marriage increased significantly, many girls are on the verge of dropping out of school, and women are overburdened with both housework and office work.”

However it noted that even as the global health crisis cast a dark shadow over women’s rights, women across have shown “their strength and resilience in fighting off the crises brought on by the pandemic.”

The Bangladesh based newspaper highlighted Farjana Jabin Purobi’s case, who  gave birth just six months before Covid-19 broke out.

Purobi’s husband lost his job due to the pandemic, losing all his savings. But an undeterred Purobi took the opportunity and started a food business of her own. “Farjana stepped up and started a baby food delivery business from home, after receiving good feedback from her friends who tried her baby food items,” the newspaper said.

Purobi is not alone.

A 32 year old nurse Shohida Khatun Shikha who is engaged in one of the hospitals is a front-line worker. “Alongside treating Covid-19 patients at the hospital, she also made sure her family was safe and healthy,” the newspaper said.

“I still nurse my baby with my mask on. At the beginning [of the pandemic], I was emotionally and physically drained, but now I feel like if I don’t do my job right, many patients who are not allowed to see their family will be deprived of the care they need,” the newspaper quoted her as saying.

The list of women achievers is long. Each of them has risen to the occasion, which brought along unprecedented challenges. But women, who are used to juggle work at home and office with ease, have shown the world how to deal with such unseen situations.

Meanwhile, the United Nations noted that women have stood at the front lines of the Covid-19 crisis, as health care workers, caregivers, innovators, community organizers and as some of the most exemplary and effective national leaders in combating the pandemic. “The crisis has highlighted both the centrality of their contributions and the disproportionate burdens that women carry,” it said.