In the lead up to International Women’s Day on 8 March, the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) has released new findings on the impact of the coronavirus crisis on gender equality in Europe.
From job losses and reduced working hours to spikes in domestic violence and overwhelmed counsellors, the effects of the pandemic have hit women the hardest.
During the first wave of the pandemic, employment for women reduced by 2.2 million across the EU. Women working in retail, accommodation, residential care, domestic work and clothing manufacturing suffered heavy job losses. They make up the bulk of the workforce in these sectors, and 40% of all jobs lost by women during the crisis were in these professions.
Despite rising employment in the summer, women gained only half as many jobs as men. This shows that the economic impact of the pandemic is having longer lasting effects for women.