How COVID-19 Pandemic Worsens the Economic Situation of Women in South Africa

Margaret Chitiga (), Martin Henseler, Ramos Mabugu and Hélène Maisonnave
Additional contact information
Margaret Chitiga: University of Pretoria
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Margaret Mabugu

The European Journal of Development Research, 2022, vol. 34, issue 3, No 18, 1627-1644

Abstract: Abstract Little is known about the general equilibrium impact COVID-19 induces on different gender groups. This paper addresses the problem of relatively few general equilibrium studies focusing on gender impacts of COVID-19. The analysis uses a gendered Computable General Equilibrium model linked to a microsimulation model that analyses a mild and severe scenario of the pandemic on economic and distributional outcomes for females. Irrespective of scenario, findings show that because women employment tend to have unskilled labour which is more concentrated in sectors that are hurt the most by COVID-19 response measures, they suffer disproportionately more from higher unemployment than their male counterparts. The poverty outcomes show worsened vulnerability for female-headed households given that, even prior to the pandemic, poverty was already higher amongst women. These simulated results are consistent with recently observed impacts and address research gaps important for well-designed public policies to reverse these trends.

Keywords: COVID-19; Computable general equilibrium model; Gender; Poverty; South Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C68 E60 J16 O55 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (5)

Downloads: (external link)
http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41287-021-00441-w Abstract (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
Working Paper: How COVID-19 pandemic worsens the economic situation of women in South Africa (2020)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:eurjdr:v:34:y:2022:i:3:d:10.1057_s41287-021-00441-w

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/journal/41287/PS2

DOI: 10.1057/s41287-021-00441-w

Access Statistics for this article

The European Journal of Development Research is currently edited by Spencer Henson and Natalia Lorenzoni

More articles in The European Journal of Development Research from Palgrave Macmillan, European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().