Gutierrez, D, Martin, G. & Ñopo, H. (2020). El Coronavirus y los retos para el trabajo de las mujeres en América Latina [#COVID19 Serie de Documentos de Política Pública, 18]. PNUD.

The Coronavirus pandemic has spread throughout the world and Latin America has not escaped its health, economic and social impacts. The economic strike resulting from a combination of astringent measures (self-quarantines, mandatory quarantines, limited capacity of people in commercial premises, factories and offices, border closures, etc.), is generating profound economic and social impacts. In the labor market this means shocks to both supply and demand. Within households, this means an increase in the unpaid workload, which falls disproportionately on women, further limiting their availability of time to carry out productive activities. The impacts and depth of the crisis are different for women and men, so generalized formulas must be avoided as they can widen gender gaps.

This note explores the impacts of the crisis on employment in sixteen countries in the region. It also analyzes gender impacts with four lenses: young people, people living in poverty, rural people and heads of household. It presents a set of policy options aimed at integrating the gender approach throughout the cycle of the socio-economic response to the pandemic and in the post-pandemic. Emphasizing that solutions must be transversal, we propose policies in three main areas: homes, work and the spaces between work and home. Thus, socio-economic recovery policies will not only help to alleviate the impact in the short term, but also to make progress in equal opportunities for women and men in the medium and long term.