(Photo : Image by Kasun Chamara from Pixabay)

Lockdowns, while potentially important in preventing the spread of COVID-19, are associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety, as well as food insecurity, among women in India and other developing countries, according to new research.

According to the research from the University of California, San Diego's School of Global Policy and Strategy, women whose social position may make them more vulnerable - those with daughters and those living in female-headed households - experienced even greater declines in mental health as a result of lockdowns.

The paper, which will be published in a future issue of the Journal of Economic Development, surveyed 1,545 households in various rural regions of Northern India over the phone. While the findings are centered on the developing world, they have implications for women around the world who are subjected to lockdowns.

"Not having access to work and socialization outside the home can be very detrimental for women's mental health in developing countries," study co-author Gaurav Khanna, assistant professor of economics at the School of Global Policy and Strategy, explained.

"We suspect the impact on women and mothers in particular was exacerbated in the United States," Khanna said. "Because of traditional gender roles in child care, when children are not in school or daycare, the burden usually falls on women." Policymakers should be aware that these policies will have a different impact on women."