THE EFFECTS OF COVID-19 ON GENDER INEQUALITY LOOMS

The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe impacts on the South African economy on all, however, these effects have not been equally felt by all.

Research has shown that the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have been disproportionately felt by vulnerable groups, and dis-employment effects have been concentrated amongst women.

Inequality has widened along gender lines where women earned approximately 29% less than men per hour in February 2020. This has expanded to approximately 43% less in June 2020. Monthly figures are more severe, with the gender wage gap estimated at approximately 30% in February 2020 and 51.6% in June 2020.

Evidence suggests that changes in wage inequality are driven by decreased working hours amongst women relative to men, perhaps due to being unable to work effectively from home, or due to increased childcare burdens during lockdown. Women have therefore being unfortunate to receive decreased wages amid unchanging economic demands.

Research & Statistics: National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey