Silent Struggles: Tracing the Mental Health Realities of Unorganised Women After COVID-19 in South India

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately affected unorganized women workers in South India, exacerbating existing socio-economic vulnerabilities and leading to significant mental health challenges. Objective: To explore the lived experiences of mental health issues among unorganized women workers in South India post-COVID-19 using a phenomenological approach. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological study was conducted involving semi-structured interviews with 20 unorganized women workers aged 25–50 from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Kerala. Colaizzi’s method was employed for data analysis. Results: Five major themes emerged: economic insecurity and anxiety; social isolation and loneliness; increased care burden and burnout; fear of illness and death; and stigma and silence around mental health. Conclusion: The study highlights the urgent need for community-based mental health interventions and policy inclusion to address the unique challenges faced by unorganized women workers in the post-pandemic era.