Pandemic Widens Gender Gap, Sri Mulyani Says
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19 November 2020 08:19 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said gender inequality was increasing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “The pandemic has hit the whole community hard but the impact is even harder for women,” said Sri in a webinar on Wednesday, November 18, 2020.
She explained that the virus pandemic affected sectors such as restaurants, accommodation or hotels, and home working jobs. Based on a preliminary report from the 2020 ADB-UN’s Women High-Level Roundtable, 54 percent of the 75 million workers in the restaurant and accommodation industry are women.
“Women lose 50 percent of their working hours, while men only lose 35 percent,” she added.
In normal situations, Sri went on, the female labor force participation in Indonesia is lower than in other countries. Now, the number has decreased due to the pandemic to 54.56 percent from 55.5 percent last year.
On the other hand, the workload for women was getting bigger after they lost their income because they are no longer able to pay for daycare.
“They may be able to work from home or WFH but at the same time, they have to take care of their children. So they have household chores while resuming their works,” said Sri Mulyani.
Also Read: Sri Mulyani Speaks about Overcoming COVID-19 Effects with APBN
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