This archive report was first published on 8 July 2020.
Published on July 8, 2020, a report by Citi highlights the devastating impact of Covid-19 on women's employment worldwide. According to the report, nearly three times more women will lose their jobs compared to men, with an estimated 31 million women facing job losses globally.
The report attributes this disparity to the sectors most vulnerable to job losses, which are predominantly female-dominated. Women are over-represented in sectors such as retail, education, and healthcare, where job losses are expected to be the highest.
“The difference has to do with the sectors affected most by Covid-19. Women are over-represented in six sectors that are the most vulnerable to Covid-19 layoffs,” says Citi.
Furthermore, women are more likely to be caretakers of children and adult dependents, taking on more unpaid work than men. This adds to their vulnerability in the face of job losses.
According to the report, women occupy 75 percent or more of the jobs in personal care, healthcare, and clerical professions, and roughly 70 percent in the education sector.
“The risk of unemployment in a post-Covid-19 world is higher for females versus males, which could also lead to higher rates of poverty for females,” says Citi.
Kenya is not immune to this trend. A survey by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics found that more than half (51.2 percent) of women respondents were unemployed in the seven days preceding the survey, compared to 34.7 percent of men.
Decision-makers must take women into account in policies intended to address Covid-19 economic disruptions, according to Citi. This includes protection of women from gender-based violence, pay equity, and steering women towards high-wage sectors.
