Governments in least developing countries (LDCs) while addressing the social and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic must adopt a gender perspective, UNCTAD’s new study on Enhanced Integrated Framework indicates.
The study warns that the gender gap in income and well-being in LDCs risk worsening the more if post-pandemic policy choices do not consider a gendered dimension.
Although LDCs have recorded a lower-than-expected number of confirmed Covid-19 cases per capita, the socio-economic fallout for populations has been dire. This has led to pushing an estimated 32 million more people into extreme poverty in 2020.
As a result, women in these countries have borne the brunt of the crisis, as they work mainly in the hardest-hit sectors, such as tourism, horticulture and textiles.
“As policymakers urgently try to restart their economies, they should ensure that both women and men receive the necessary means and support to recover from this crisis,” UNCTAD Acting Secretary-General Isabelle Durant indicated.
“For an inclusive and better recovery, policies must be gender sensitive.”
Specifically, trade policies must be gender-responsive, the report highlights. Speaking on the trade and gender linkages, EIF head Ratnakar Adhikari commented that so many years have been spent in fixing the gender gap, only for the pandemic to make the journey arduous.
“Especially in the world’s poorest countries, where the challenges facing women are even more dire.”
“But if we’re committed to transforming the lives of women across the globe, we have to start with the least developed countries.”
Women to lose out on export opportunities and agriculture
Regards export opportunities available in LDCs, the report indicates that women are likely to benefit less than men due to the roles of men and women in LDC’s main export sectors.
The economies of LDCs are highly dependent on a few exports. For some, such as most African LDCs, these exports include agricultural goods and minerals. For others the exports are textiles (most Asian LDCs) or tourism services (small islands).
According to the report, such dependence on exports and the lack of diversity makes the group extremely vulnerable to the fluctuations of global trade and world markets.
Even so, the agriculture sector which appears to be the major employer in most African LDCs holds them back, the report hints.
In LDCs, women make up between 41% and 45% of total employment in agriculture. Meanwhile, gender segregation holds them back in subsistence farming due to their traditional role of providing food security for the family.
The report recommends that governments conduct gender value chain analyses in key agricultural export sectors. In order to identify the existing gender gaps and formulate policies that better target the barriers women face.
These include customary laws that prevent women from owning land and other property upon which they can leverage to obtain credit. Also, solutions may include policies to boost women’s participation in extension services as well as targeted loan programmes for women in key export sectors.
Furthermore, informal work in artisanal and small-scale mining is an important source of income for women in LDCs, especially in Africa. The report warns that formalization of employment in LDCs while helpful can have unintended consequences, pushing women further behind.
“Women are mostly excluded as license holders and decision-makers in miners’ cooperatives and committees, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, so they’re unlikely to benefit from formalization focused on licenses and cooperatives,” Ms. Zarrilli said.
To avoid such an outcome, the report urges governments to simplify formalization procedures and ensure women have the tools and knowledge necessary to successfully complete required steps.
