Beijing Women's Federation

The disproportionate jobs and income losses that women suffered, as well as the worsened gender inequality in the workplace during the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic will continue in the near future, according to a new study released recently by the International Labor Organization (ILO). The study indicated there will be 13 million fewer women in employment this year compared to 2019, but the number of men in work will likely recover to levels seen two years ago.

According to the policy brief titled "Building Forward Fairer: Women's rights to work and at work at the core of the COVID-19 recovery," women have seen disproportionate job and income losses because they are over-represented in the sectors hit hardest by lockdowns, such as accommodation, food services and manufacturing.  

Between 2019 and 2020, women's employment declined by 4.2 percent globally, representing 54 million jobs, while men suffered a three percent decline, or 60 million jobs. Only 43 percent of the world's working-age women will be employed in 2021, compared to 69 per cent of their male counterparts.

Implementing Supportive Policies for Women

The study revealed that women's employment was hit hardest in the Americas, falling by more than nine percent. This was followed by the Arab States at just over four percent, then Asia-Pacific at 3.8 percent, Europe at 2.5 percent and Central Asia at 1.9 percent. In Africa, men's employment dropped by just 0.1 percent between 2019 and 2020, while women's employment decreased by 1.9 percent.  

Throughout the pandemic, women faired considerably better in countries that took measures to prevent them from losing their jobs and allowed them to get back into the workforce as early as possible.

In Chile and Colombia, for example, wage subsidies were applied to new hires, with higher subsidy rates for women. And Colombia and Senegal were among those nations which created or strengthened support for women entrepreneurs. Meanwhile, in Mexico and Kenya quotas were established to guarantee that women benefited from public employment programs.  

China and Singapore took action to increase women's participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), which offered better paid employment opportunities, while France and Spain worked towards implementing pay transparency policies and wage reporting.

According to ILO, some countries implemented a series of measures to address the upsurge in domestic violence, which can negatively affect women's participation in employment, labor productivity and occupational safety and health. China, India and Lebanon have established or upgraded dedicated domestic violence hotline services and carried out awareness-raising campaigns through social media.

Rebuilding in a Fairer Way 

To address these imbalances, gender-responsive strategies must be at the core of recovery efforts, says the agency.

It is essential to invest in the care economy because the health, social work and education sectors are important job generators, especially for women, according to ILO. Moreover, care leave policies and flexible working arrangements can also encourage a more even division of work at home between women and men. The current gender gap can also be tackled by working towards universal access to comprehensive, adequate and sustainable social protection. Promoting equal pay for work of equal value is also a potentially decisive and important step.

Domestic violence and work-related gender-based violence and harassment has worsened during the pandemic — further undermining women's ability to be in the workforce — and the report highlights the need to eliminate the scourge immediately. Promoting women's participation in decision-making bodies, and more effective social dialogue, would also make a major difference, said ILO.