Coronavirus has worsened economic inequality for women - Experts

Some female professionals have said the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the economic inequality faced by women.

They stated this during an event to mark the March 8 International Women’s Day.

The campaign theme for the 2021 IWD as shared by the United Nations Development Programme is, ‘Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 world.’

In her keynote speech, the Head of Sustainability, Access Bank Plc, Omobolanle Victor-Laniyan, said despite many of the advances made towards gender equality in the past few decades, progress had been slow as discriminatory laws and social norms remained pervasive.

She said, “The 2020 Global Gender Gap Report published by the World Economic Forum indicates there is still a 31.4 per cent average gender gap that remains to be closed as men continue to dominate the global workforce. At the current rate of change, the global gender gap will not close for another 100 years.

“Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is clearly aggravating economic inequalities faced by women. A new study suggests the COVID-19 pandemic will have a disproportionately negative effect on women and their employment opportunities. The effects of this shock are likely to outlast the actual epidemic.”

Also, the Executive Director, HACEY Health Initiative, Rhoda Robinson, said 2021 brought so much to reflect on as remarkable efforts and progress were being made by women leaders to make their industries stand strong despite COVID-19.

She said, “COVID-19 has amplified the inequalities women face every day and it’s very important to have national and global recovery plans to address this across all sectors.”