The Gendered Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Employment in Argentina: The Mediating Role of the Public vs. Private Sectors

Yasmin A. Mertehikian () and Emilio A. Parrado
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Yasmin A. Mertehikian: Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6299, USA
Emilio A. Parrado: Department of Sociology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6299, USA

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 2, 1-20

Abstract: This study examines the COVID-19 pandemic’s immediate and long-term impact on Argentina’s labor market with a focus on gender disparities and the mediating role of the public vs. private sectors. Using household survey data, we assess men and women’s employment trends before, during, and after the pandemic. Our findings reveal gender-specific recovery patterns that interact with the employment sector. The most prominent short-term effect of the pandemic was a dramatic increase in inactivity for both men and women. However, men recovered their level of labor force participation sooner than women, and one of the mechanisms behind this disparity was sector employment. While men predominantly benefitted from quicker reintegration in both the formal and informal private sectors, women leaned toward the public sector for stability during and after the pandemic. The heightened feminization of public sector employment is a further indication that the sector is critical for sustaining women’s employment and promoting gender equity in the labor market.

Keywords: COVID-19; Argentina; gender; work; public sector; private sector (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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