Gender

As past crises show, whilst disasters affect everyone, inequality is exacerbated. Girls are among the worst affected in any crisis, particularly in the long term. They are exposed to specific risks due to their age and gender – their voices often the least heard, and their rights and needs left unmet. This global pandemic gives us the chance to set a new course for these girls and we must take it. But we cannot ‘Build Back Better’ without ensuring to #ListenToGirls.

COVID-19 continues to take a heavy toll on lives and economies across the world, changing the way we work and interact, while adding an additional layer of care responsibilities for families—especially for women.

Women’s specific needs and potential as leaders and agents of change must be considered for COVID-19 mitigation and recovery measures. This opinion piece is part of a series of articles by UNIDO’s Office for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women.

The garment industry employs 60 million workers around the world, nearly 75% of whom are women. The International Labour Organization has estimated that nearly 25 million jobs could be lost as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and women working in garment supply chains are particularly vulnerable. During this period of crisis, CARE is calling on brands, governments, supplier factories, trade unions and civil society to take action to protect the rights of women working in the garment industry.

Data is urgently required to highlight the different impact of coronavirus on women and men, with early signs that women face higher levels of violence and more care work.

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is not gender neutral, as it affects men and women differently. Therefore, we must not be gender blind in our responses to the pandemic, or else women will carry a disproportionately higher economic cost than men. Globally, women are more vulnerable to economic shocks wrought by crises such as the coronavirus pandemic.