African Women Warriors and the Pandemic
By Gargi Bagchi – Managing Editor, The African Gazette
We are already into the eighteenth month since the start of the global pandemic. It would not be an overstatement to infer that Covid-19 has not only claimed millions of lives but has also brought in a paradigm shift in the ways all of us relate to the world and navigate through our daily lives.
How has this global pandemic impacted the fair sex?
Stark inequalities and fissures across different societies in the world are a reality brought forth by the Covid-19 pandemic. Amongst the multitude of fissures, the disproportionate effect of the pandemic on women is a striking one. Although preliminary indications from New York, Italy, and China show men at a greater risk of contracting the disease and higher mortality rate than women (over 58% of covid-19 patients were men, and 60% greater mortality rate than women), data from the Gauteng Department of Health’s Mpilo database of March 6-November 2020 reveal otherwise. 56% of cases of Covid-19 positive are women whereas women account for just 50% of the total population. The investigation also points out that the gender gap comprises very elderly and working-age women between the ages of 20 to 65 years. Certain developed nations do have higher female cases, however, the main difference in those countries lies in the fact that the gender bias majorly is explained by Covid-19 positive cases amongst women above 80 years.
Hospital admissions data too in South Africa mirrors the split of female-to-males testing rates and positive cases. Towards the end of November 2020, there were 106,931 admissions out of which 56% or 59,689 were women, but the mortality rate is lower for women like the rest of the world.
What are the possible reasons for this gendered vulnerability?
African women, as direct caregivers are overrepresented at the frontlines of the response to the Covid-19 pandemic thereby increasing the vulnerability of exposure to the virus. Women comprise about 60% of Africa’s essential social service providers and health – in professions like nursing, cleaning, and store cash handling, and to the extent of 91% in Egypt. Women also make up a higher extent of social grant recipients, which exposes them to the virus more than men as they stand in long queues to get their monthly payments.
Even at home, women undertake more work as compared to men – about 11 times higher in Mali. Elderly relatives at home needing extra care as well as children staying at home due to school closures because of lockdown put an extra burden on women. Women are also more likely to visit public healthcare facilities either for people they look after or for themselves to get tested, which all the more increases their vulnerability.
In South Africa, according to the GCRO (Gauteng City-Region Observatory’s Quality of Life) survey data, women’s greater reliance on public transport or minibus taxis for reaching their work destination is fairly common, even more than men.
African women also tend to stay in larger households in crowded conditions with pre-existing conditions and also there is less possibility of access to medical aid. This leaves them at the mercy of the public healthcare system.
Socioeconomic impacts: Job Losses
Added to the difficulties stated above, the lockdown imposed to contain the virus spread across the globe, brought about untold hardships in the economic and social spectrum for African women, similar to the rest of the globe. (NIDS-CRAM) The National Income Dynamics Study – Coronavirus Rapid Mobile Survey that looks into the socio-economic effects of the pandemic and lockdown show that out of the total net job losses in South Africa, two-thirds of those were of women. Earlier evidence in 2014 during the Ebola outbreak in West Africa shows higher economic losses amongst women. In the present times, the Corona outbreak has seen the loss of income and jobs for women in sectors such as retail, food and beverage, tourism, hospitality, and air travel. Women working for industries along the supply chain in nations integrated into the global value chain, similar to the textile workers in Ethiopia were deeply impacted due to lockdowns and border closures. Furthermore, over 89% of African women do not enjoy employment benefits and security as they are employed informally. With less scope of growth than men and lower earnings, women have a weaker position in the job market, leaving them more susceptible to quicker layoffs by employers in comparison to men in the current pandemic situation.
Digital divide
A major challenge plaguing young women in Africa during this pandemic is the dearth of ICT infrastructure access and the internet. Access to a stable internet, computers, and poor network coverage across rural or remote areas are posing serious challenges. While these issues are not unique to women, a study by UNECA (United Nations Economic Commission for Africa) reveals that only 10.7% get access to computers at home and only 17.8% of Africans have home internet access, while there is a wide gender gap – 11.2% regarding accessibility to the internet. For women, online participation is further hampered due to the lack of availability of conducive spaces as quite often homes are shared with many people. The additional burden of cleaning, cooking, and housework also add to existing woes
Gender violence
Gender-based violence was quite a prevalent feature in Africa, even before Covid-19 had been declared a global pandemic and nationwide lockdowns and safety protocols were implemented. However, Covid-19 has certainly brought in its wake increased cases of such violence against women probably due to loss of family income, stress, and isolation. Abuse of women and girls, sexual harassment, and most importantly incidences of intimate partner violence have exacerbated during lockdowns. For instance in Kenya, calls reporting domestic violence increased manifold in the initial 3 weeks of lockdown, as indicated by Google Trends Data. Whilst concrete data reports are scarce from the global sphere, similar trends have come to light in the emerging as well as developed economies like the UK, China, and the US. In the Gauteng province in South Africa, there were approximately reports of 5000 gender-based violence during Level 4 and Level 5 lockdowns in 2020. A study conducted by UNDP (United Nations Development Program) shows that sexual assault has risen by 27% and gender-based violence by 10% since the start of the pandemic in the Central African Republic.
Healthcare Disruption
There has been a disruption in access to reproductive and sexual health services as efforts are diverted towards curbing the spread of the deadly coronavirus. According to preliminary data provided by WHO, the number of cesarean sections performed went down in Zimbabwe by 42% in 2020, between January and April, in comparison with the same period in the previous year. Initial statistics by WHO in Burundi reveal that births with the assistance of skilled attendants fell by quite a large number in April 2020 as compared to what was in April 2019.
The path forward –What we can do
Women have definitely been hard hit by the pandemic. However, going forward it rests upon us to bring about a change in the systems and structures to minimize the lopsidedness and provide more equity and advantages for women. We have to support one another in the process of empowerment and encouragement towards women to bring about improved living conditions. One good aftereffect of the global pandemic is the world’s renewed desire for inclusivity, innovation, and newer methodologies – certainly there is an opportunity, where there is a crisis. Herein lies the scope for us to shape a brand new policy participation program in the post-pandemic era.
Young women in Africa must continue to distinctly articulate their needs and make their voices heard through social media as well as other appropriate platforms and participate in the matter of agenda-setting for the post-pandemic era. They should be encouraged to not only engage and share thoughts amongst themselves but also influence the government and leaders through easily accessible platforms. A notable instance in this regard is the UNICEF Youth Advocacy Guide co-created by the youths of Africa, which looks into female gender mutilation, gender-based violence, human rights, governance, youth unemployment, etc. Similar approaches have to be scaled up especially for young women, with regard to the different challenges and scopes brought up by the pandemic.
Efforts to bridge the digital divide in the rural or remote areas through sufficient support for campaigns and organizations must continue along with scaling up of projects to generate employment scopes for the youth and especially the young women.
Public-private sector partnership needs to be strengthened to bring in investment for the provision of standardized broadband infrastructure, which will offer affordable and stable high-speed internet facilities accessible in remote areas.
What can the policymakers do?
The governments in Africa should take certain bold steps for the protection of the lives of women from their abusers. The policymakers must make reporting of cases by the victims trapped at home easily and safe as far as possible by devising innovative ways to receive reports of abuse or violence, such as the use of coded messages and dedicated hotlines. In Spain, the victims can use a special code at the local pharmacies to report their plight – similar strategies can be implemented in the African communities.
In order to encourage the victims to speak up, the policymakers could offer incentives such as income support and extra protection. Additionally, governments need to increase campaigns related to public awareness for discouraging violence against women, especially targeted at boys and men, with warning of dire consequences.
Governments need to also accommodate and promote flexible work arrangements for those women in essential services and for women engaged as first responders.
Plentiful women work in economic sectors which are hardest hit by the pandemic. Policymakers could offer financial assistance in the form of cash or in-kind – such as suspending rent or utility payments. Financial assistance could be provided to women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises.
More funding has to be allocated to the groups that fight for women’s rights and provide support to young girls and women affected during the crisis. Governments too need to scale up and utilize virtual and online support networks.
Resources that were earmarked in the pre-Covid-19 era for gender-transformative policies have to be used in immediate relief work for women. Newer legislation abolishing discriminatory laws for women must continue.
Conclusion
The socioeconomic issues plaguing women, as pointed out in the article demonstrate the need for early action-oriented and inclusive interventions by African policymakers to mitigate the risk of further exacerbation. A quote by Joyce Banda, the former President of Malawi is quite relevant in this regard – “The seeds of success in every nation on Earth are best planted in women and children.” Indeed, we must ensure that the pandemic responses do not further create new vulnerabilities or deepen the existing structural inequalities, neither retract the hard-fought gains related to women’s and girls’ rights and gender equality.
Gargi – Currently Managing Editor of The African Gazette, she has been an independent content creator, researcher and editing professional. With 12+ years of experience across diverse writing genres, Gargi comes with an exposure of working with a multitude of global clients in the digital space. She has a penchant for reading and researching on new topics, and enjoys listening to music and traveling. She can be contacted through Email or Linkedin
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