Gender Inequality and Covid-19: A Global Crisis

Firstly, due to being a contagious illness, isolation and social distance are massive parts in limiting the effects of Covid-19. The percentage of women being abused, exploited, and neglected sharply increases during outbreaks of similar diseases. According to Nanthini and Nair; stress, elevated tension, and restricted mobility, due to quarantine, heightens the rates of domestic violence. To make this statement credible, the Association of Women for Action and Research which is based in Singapore, released a report stating that family violence calls skyrocketed to 137% in May 2020. In Indonesia, domestic violence cases increased no less than triple half a month after the lockdown measures were taken. In my opinion, governments with high rates of domestic violence complaints have to take measurements to ensure the safety of the victims. Although quarantining is one of the most crucial parts of diminishing the consequences of Covid-19, governments should take into consideration that quarantining also means being compelled to stay in the close range of the perpetrator. Enabling opportunities for the victims and ensuring their safety, should be considered by every country’s government, whilst handling the pandemic that we are going through at the moment. 

Secondly, it is not possible to disregard the impacts of Covid-19 on the socio-economic perspective. This outbreak inflates the already existent economic insecurity of women all around the world. Predominantly women are engaged in the grey economy which are the most affected job fields by Covid-19 such as travel, hospitality, textile manufacturing, and retail sales. Women from countries like Bangladesh, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Myanmar have been dismissed from their jobs and are forced to battle against financial crises in addition to psychological conflict. For example, in Pakistan, women are predominant in the field of agriculture with 65,52%. The demand for food supply in developing countries such as Pakistan, may put more pressure on women and might increase the cases of manipulation by male agricultural laborers when it comes to the distribution of fields. In addition, women’s accessibility to local markets will be restricted due to Covid-19 lockdown regulations. From my standpoint, the economic struggles that the pandemic has been creating for almost two years are inevitable but fixable. The most important component to consider when combating the economic consequences of Covid-19 is acknowledging and not underestimating the economic devastation people have been going through. Governments’ goals should be enacting legislation that protects women’s rights on economic grounds especially in underdeveloped and developing countries. Providing some kind of payment to single mothers, unemployed women and teenage girls that are continuing their educations should be one of the priorities. 

Taking everything into consideration, the Covid-19 pandemic unearthed several crucial problems the globe has been going through silently. Dilemmas that have been overlooked for decades, such as the inequality between sexes in almost every segment of daily life and economic conflicts, have to be solved swiftly to boost the quality of living in these strange times. Undoubtedly, governments and legislators have the biggest roles when it comes to resolving the already stated issues. Ultimately, what I believe is that, these matters are global problems that only can be solved with global solidarity.