The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted significant gender disparities in the labour market, revealing striking differences in the way economic downturns affect men’s and women’s jobs. In an analysis published on 20 December by the pro-European think-tank Bruegel, experts Sabine T. Koeszegi, Estrella Gomez-Herrera, Caroline Berghammer and Alexia Prskawetz examined these repercussions on gender equality, suggesting policies for greater resilience and a more effective rebound of the labour market.
Historically, recessions such as 2008 have had a greater impact on male jobs, particularly in sectors such as construction and manufacturing.
However, the Covid-19 crisis has hit women’s jobs particularly hard, especially in the hotel, personal services and health sectors, exacerbated by the closure of schools and childcare services, putting increased pressure on women to manage household and care tasks.
This situation has led to a “she-cession”, highlighting the over-representation of women in precarious and essential jobs, as well as their vulnerability in slow-recovery sectors such as the hotel industry. In addition, gender norms have accentuated occupational segregation and the division of unpaid work.
Faced with these challenges, the authors of the analysis refer to the work of researchers Jill Rubery and Isabel Tavor, who propose targeted policies to strengthen the resilience of women in the labour market.
These policies include reforming tax systems to encourage full-time work for women, improving family-friendly policies such as affordable childcare and balanced parental leave, and promoting flexible working arrangements.
These measures can not only facilitate a quicker and fairer recovery of labour markets after crises, but also reduce occupational segregation.
To see the analysis: https://aeur.eu/f/aao (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)