Gender-sensitive responses needed to COVID-19 in Africa
Women in the formal sector received economic assistance in the form of tax, rent and debt-relief, but little support was provided to those in informal working positions and in agricultural settings.
©FAO
The ways in which crises affect men and women are shaped by intersecting vulnerabilities and social differences in socio-economic status, sex and gender identity, among others. Gender inequalities in access to and control over productive resources, services, and economic opportunities often cause women to bear a disproportionate burden of shocks. This has also been true throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, where women and girls, especially in rural and vulnerable contexts, have been more exposed to threats such as food insecurity, deprivation of education and consequently to early marriage. Governments, development agencies and civil society organisations (CSOs) face the challenge of developing and implementing gender-sensitive policies and programmes that respond to such impacts.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recently joined efforts with the CGIAR GENDER Platform and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) to explore gender-differentiated impacts of COVID-19 in the African region through a virtual policy dialogue. Stakeholders shared their experience and recommendations for the development of gender-sensitive programming and policymaking for building back better from COVID-19.
International organizations committed to addressing challenges faced by women
Abebe Haile-Gabriel, FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Africa, opened the event with an important message on African women’s challenges in the workplace:
“About 90 percent of women in Africa are employed in informal sectors, which means they are deprived of social protections. This has been strikingly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, where more women than men have become economically inactive.”
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