WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2020) The coronavirus pandemic could roll back gains in women's economic opportunities, with inequities in teleworking likely to widen gender gaps of the past three decades, the International Monetary Fund said Tuesday in a blog co-authored by Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva.
"Because of the nature of their jobs, teleworking is not an option for many women," said the blog, entitled 'The COVID-19 Gender Gap.' The article by Georgieva and three senior IMF research officials went on to say that the pandemic "threatens to roll back gains in women's economic opportunities, widening gender gaps that persist despite 30 years of progress."
Citing global work trends, the blog said about 54 percent of women working in US social sectors could not telework. In Brazil, that share was 67 percent, while in some low-income countries, only about 12 percent of an entire population at most was able to work remotely.
"Women are more likely than men to work in social sectors � such as services industries, retail, tourism, and hospitality � that require face-to-face interactions," according to the blog post. "These sectors are hit hardest by social distancing and mitigation measures. In the United States, unemployment among women was two percentage points higher than men between April-June 2020."
Women were more likely than men to be employed in the informal sector in low-income countries, the blog said.
"Informal employment - often compensated in cash with no official oversight - leaves women with lower pay, no protection of labor laws, and no benefits such as pensions or health insurance," it said.
In Colombia, women's poverty has increased by 3.3 percent because of the shutdown in economic activities forced by the pandemic, the article said. In Canada, the May job report showed that women's employment increased by 1.1 percent compared with 2.4 percent for men, as childcare issues persisted.
