Page 16 - newsletter 14 aug

Gender Inequality in

Covid Times

Vanshika Khetan, XII D
Given that the COVID-19 crisis affects men and women in
different ways, measures to resolve it must take gender into
account. For women and girls, vulnerabilities at home, on
the front lines of health care, and pertaining to the labor
market must be addressed.
Regardless of where one looks, it is women who bear most of the responsibility for holding the society
together. Be it working at home or contribution to the nation building by working in various
sectors.
Strangely, work at home is not treated as productive and housemakers mostly go unnoticed without any
remuneration. But the discrimination is witnessed on professional front also. For the same level of work
and responsibilities the women employees are paid less in comparison to women employees.
The Present Covid situation has once again brought these issues in the limelight. In the present crisis
we are seeing how women are in the forefront, fighting the battle with extreme strength and confidence.
It is imperative even for the institutions and organizations to recognize the potential of women
workforce. Also in these difficult times, the welfare of the women workforce needs to be
addressed and given priority.
So while on one hand we have to address the question of welfare of women we also need to identify
and give equal opportunity to women workforce to fight this battle.
We see two areas where women and girls are particularly at risk and in need of stronger protections in
the current crisis.
First, due to lockdown and home quarantine or stay at home measures, there is a rapid increase
in gender-based violence. This needs to be addressed immediately and adequate measure needs to
be taken. Governments, civil-society groups and independent welfare organizations must come forward
to provide adequate support here.
Second, the majority of those on the front lines of the pandemic are women, because women make up
70% of all health and social-services staff globally. We need to empower this workforce, starting by
providing able assistance to them in the form of their safety, extending them support so that they can
balance between work and home and giving financial assistance.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women,
where the international community adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. We are
calling on all governments to recommit to the principle that women have the same right to
participate in decision- making as men do – that their perspectives must be accounted for. To
that end, policymakers at all levels need to listen to and engage with women’s rights organizations
when formulating responses to this crisis, and when preparing for the next one.
The guiding question always should be: Are women and men affected differently by this issue, and, if
so, how can we achieve fairer outcomes? We must ensure that girls have just as much time to
study as boys do and do not bear full responsibility for the care of siblings and parents. We also must
learn the right lessons from the COVID-19 crisis, which demands that
we take a hard look at how we value and pay for women’s contributions
to health care, social services, and the economy. How can we ensure
that women are not excluded from important political processes now and
in the future?
Today, all countries are facing the same crisis, and none will prevail
over COVID-19 by acting alone. Given that we share the same future,
all of us must work to ensure that it is one built on solidarity and
partnership. Governments and the UN must show leadership. We know that gender-equal societies are
more prosperous and sustainable than those with deep disparities. The world’s decision-makers have
an opportunity to make gender equality a top priority. We urge them to rise to the occasion.