A sample survey revealed that a large number of widows living in five urban slums live in rented spaces, and those who live in spaces owned by them, do so in small houses.
The sample survey, done by Helping Hand Foundation, entailed gathering information from 1,528 respondents living in five urban slums covering several basthis in Achi Reddy Nagar, Jalpally, Hasan Nagar and other places.
“Around 71% of the widows said they live in rented spaces, 22% live in their own houses built on 30-40 sq. yards space and 6% are living on charitable donated spaces. Almost all those living in rented spaces said that nearly half of their income goes in paying the monthly rents,” Mujtaba Askari from the HHF said.
A vast majority of the respondents work as domestic help to support themselves and their children. Over 30% of the women depend on financial assistance from family. According to the observations from the survey, COVID-19 lockdowns have taken a toll on their earnings.
Less than half the respondents said that they have access to pension from the government. Several respondents pointed that they suffer from ailments such as hypertension, thyroid-related issues, diabetes, among others.
