Inequality in the labor market is deepening due to the epidemic. ILO

Fewer women than men returned to work during the coronavirus recovery, according to a new study by the International Labor Organization.

The results of the study show that the loss of women’s labor income during the pandemic will continue in the near future.

“Towards a fairer future. The summary of the study entitled “Women’s labor rights in the context of recovery from COVID-19” shows that during 2019-2020, the employment rate of women worldwide decreased by 4.2%, which amounts to 54 million jobs. During the same period, male employment fell by 3% to 60 million jobs.

“This means that compared to 2019, 13 million fewer women will work, but the number of working men will most likely return to the same level as two years ago. “This in turn means that in 2021, only 43% of women of working age in the world will be employed, compared to 69% of their male counterparts,” the report said.

According to a study by the International Labor Organization, women have experienced disproportionate losses in employment and income, as they are most represented in the sectors that have suffered the most from the pansemic restrictions – hotels, food services, manufacturing, etc.

Not all regions have suffered in the same way as a result of the pandemic. For example, the study found that in the American continent, women’s employment suffered the most, a figure that fell by more than 9%. With more than 4%, the American continents are followed by the Arab states, followed by the Asia-Pacific region with 3.8%, Europe with 2.5% and Central Asia with 1.9%. In 2019-2020, employment of men in Africa decreased by only 0.1%, and women – by 1.9%.

Throughout the pandemic, the situation of women has improved significantly in countries that have taken steps to prevent them from losing their jobs, as well as allowing workers to return to work as soon as possible.

In Chile and Colombia, for example, the government applied subsidies to newly hired workers that were higher for women.

Colombia and Senegal were among the countries that aimed to support women entrepreneurs.

 Mexico and Kenya have gone further and set quotas to ensure that women benefit from government employment programs.

From Armenia’s experience, we can mention a number of amendments made to the RA Labor and Administrative Offenses Codes, the necessity of which was conditioned by the fact of declaring a state of emergency. The changes include provisions in favor of employees with children. In general, the Government of the Republic of Armenia has adopted pro-family approaches in a number of programs to neutralize the economic effects of the coronavirus, identifying children and women as vulnerable groups. However, the effectiveness of these support programs, as well as the impact of the pandemic on the labor market, is currently lacking in summary assessments and data, including by gender.

Experts from the International Labor Agency note that the steps taken and strategies developed to overcome the existing inequality should be based on the gender factor. In this regard, investments are made especially in the areas of health, social work and education, where a large number of women are involved.

Moreover, childcare leave policies and flexible working conditions can encourage equal division of labor between women and men. In addition to gender, the problem can also be addressed by working towards comprehensive, adequate, sustainable access to universal social protection. ILO experts consider equal pay for equal work to be a decisive and important step towards solving the problem.

During the pandemic, the problem of domestic violence, gender-based violence and harassment in the workplace intensified, which makes it even more difficult for women to be included in the labor force. The report of the UN agency mentions the need for immediate elimination of this evil.

The International Labor Organization notes that increasing women’s participation in decision-making and promoting more effective social dialogue will also be crucial.

Full text in Armenian