Daily Times

No one has been immune from the larger than life impact of the Covid-19 in some shape or form which reared its ugly head back in March, 2020 in the Chinese city of Wuhan. Since then, the pandemic has touched and impacted almost all aspects of our lives be that social, economic, or political etc.

The impact of this pandemic has hit vulnerable groups most, for example, as women or ethnic minority communities worldwide. According to the Economist, in Britain, non-white groups (except Chinese women) are more likely to contract and to die from Covid-19 than whites. Similar trends have also been witnessed in America, where black Americans are mostly hit by Covid-19.

Ethnic minorities are not the only vulnerable groups that have suffered disproportionately from Covid-19. Poverty and gender are other factors that contribute to inequality in general and an increased suffering during this pandemic specifically. This is true in wealthy Western nations as much as in the developing world. A case in point are many south Asian communities, such as in Pakistan.

A joint policy paper by the Ministry of Human Rights in Pakistan, UN Women Pakistan and the National Commission on the status of women in April, 2020 noted that the ‘pandemic is likely to have an adverse impact on the lives and livelihood of women and vulnerable groups.’ This is because of barriers women face in accessing education and employment opportunities which have been hampered by cultural and social norms andfurther amplified by the Covid-19.

Pakistan’s women-owned microenterprises which are smaller than male -owned counterparts are 8% more likely to lose their entire revenue during Covid-19. In short, the on-going pandemic has further snailed the pace of gender development for women

Pakistan is ranked at the bottom of gender equality in the world and there is a growing concern among the experts that recent gains in the gender development will be lost in the mist of Covid-19. To avoid such unwanted consequences, policy makers and government need a gendered response to recovery of post Covid-19 Pakistan.

Women make 49% of the total population in Pakistan. The precarity of female livelihood in Pakistan’s society predates the pandemic. Furthermore, women’s participation in the labour market is 15% which is less than third of male labour force rate and lower in ration in comparable countries such as Bangladesh and Turkey. Most women are part of the informal workforce especially those who are self-employed, maids, daily wage workers etc.

Arecent World Bank Blog notes thattens of thousands of women face drastic income losses since the virus broke out. It states that ‘over a quarter of Pakistani women have been fired or suspended from their jobs in various sectors’. On top, the article asserts thatPakistan’s women-owned microenterprises which are smaller than male -owned counterparts are 8% more likely to lose their entire revenue during Covid-19. In short, the on-going pandemic has further snailed the pace of gender development for women. These drastic impacts of Covid-19 need rigorous gendered solutions.

The fruits of gender development like access to education, skill development and employmentare manifold firstly to the women and girls and secondly to their families, communities and society as a whole. A girl who is educated is less likely to become a child bride or a teenage mother. This also means that women who are educated are less likely to be poor or suffer domestic abuse (which has become even more rife during the pandemic). Instead they will have more power to make decisions which can impact their life and their  children.

The Economist article notes that Covid-19 pandemic could hobble progress for girls in poor countries or even reverse that. This is true in Pakistan where progress to gender development has been steady in recent years.

It is the high time for government and policy makers to implement and monitor gender specific programmes in the post-Covid world, which can equip and provide equal opportunities to women in Pakistan in the post covid-19 Pakistan. The stakeholder engagement should be encouraged and promoted from businesses to charity sectors which support gender incentives and programmes. The donors should invest in gender- based projects.

The empowerment of women and their inclusion in the labour market will have ripple effect for everyone. Where women and girls can maximise their true potential as defined by themselves, rather than by any external factors, they can be powerful agents of change.

Shahid Khan is a Trustee of a UK based human rights group Global Minorities Alliance and is based in Scotland, UK and can be reached via @shahidshabaz