Addressing women empowerment in light of COVID-19

The sudden appearance of COVID-19 has changed the world as we know it. Apart from the economy, the debilitating effects have been felt the most by women, made more vulnerable by pre-existing inequalities in social, political and economic systems. Earning less, saving less, holding less secure jobs, heading single-parent households, and with less access to social protection, women have less capacity to absorb economic shocks than men, according to a UN policy brief published in April 2020.

This was the grim scenario that the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Policy Partnership on Women and the Economy (PPWE) faced as it held its first virtual meeting last August 21, 2020. I was honored to attend the meeting as a member of the 5-woman Philippine delegation, and the only one from the private sector representing the Women’s Business Council Philippines. With the goal of advancing the economic integration of women in the APEC region for the benefit of all 21 member economies and to coordinate gender activities across other APEC working groups, the PPWE decided to tackle the COVID-19 issue as it impacts women’s economic empowerment.

Constrained by travel restrictions, the APEC PPWE pivoted to virtual meetings to continue its cooperation among member economies. The pandemic, in fact, has accelerated the adoption of innovation and technology, one of five key pillars impacting women’s economic empowerment being addressed by the PPWE. The other four are access to capital, access to markets, skills and capacity building, and women’s leadership and agency.

Listening to the member economies present their gender-focused response to the pandemic and the initiatives on women’s economic empowerment to address the short-term challenges towards economic recovery, I quickly realized two things. First, that this pandemic is affecting all the member economies equally, with women more than men, in several key areas. Second, that there is not much difference in the way the economies are addressing the crisis.

Job Displacement

A McKinsey & Company report calculates that women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable to this crisis than men’s jobs, with women making up 39 percent of global employment but accounting for 54 percent of overall job losses. This is largely because there are more women workers in the most critically-affected industries, namely retail and wholesale trade, tourism, accommodation and food services, among others. Moreover, a UN report estimates 740 million women employed in the informal sector, about two-thirds of female employment in developing nations.

Economies have addressed the loss of job and income by extending subsidies for the unemployed, and special cash benefits for women and pregnant workers, as in the case of Japan and Chinese Taipei. To address unemployment, the Philippines has extended cash assistance to over 1M workers in the informal and formal sectors through the COVID Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP).

With over 2 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to care for, the Philippines has allocated P5B to assist and repatriate those displaced due to lockdown or business closures. To date, the Philippines has facilitated the return of over 135,000 displaced OFWs and is negotiating the inclusion of overseas Filipinos who have contracted the virus in the health coverage and social protection of employers and host economies.

Recognizing that technology allows home-based earning opportunities for women, some economies are using this period to upskill their women by providing training in digital, fintech, social media, and in e-commerce. China has strengthened its online vocational training, encouraging rural women to participate in e-commerce start-ups. Japan is looking at creating remote jobs and businesses for women, especially those displaced in the service sector.

The Plight of Women Entrepreneurs

Economies have implemented various measures to help Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), a large portion of which are women-owned and women-led. These measures include financial support in the form of interest-free/soft loans, extended payment periods, moratorium on loan repayments, tax incentives, postponed deadlines for taxes and reports, and the like.

The vulnerability of MSMEs to the pandemic is keenly felt in the Philippines, with MSMEs making up 99.52% of business establishments, 58% of which are women-led. To support women entrepreneurs, the Philippines has offered affordable and cost-efficient micro-loans to MSMEs and mandated a 30-day grace period for residential and commercial rent payments without penalties.

In addition, several measures are being pushed to help the economy recover. First, the strengthening of its COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises Program (CARES Program), a P1B enterprise rehabilitation financing facility. Second, the push for the enactment of the P1.3T Accelerated Recovery and Investments Stimulus for the Economy of the Philippines (ARISE Philippines Act). Third, the firming up of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, allocating more than P100B to fund pandemic response recovery efforts. Fourth, the P14B budget allocation for various programs to help the beleaguered Tourism industry. Fifth, accelerating the adoption of e-commerce with the E-Peso Program, through an integrated digital marketing training program for women entrepreneurs.

Unpaid Care

COVID-19 has dramatically increased the burden of unpaid care, the brunt of which is traditionally carried by women, even pre-pandemic. This includes family responsibilities like caring for children and the elderly, cooking, and cleaning. Chile has reported that women dedicate an additional 33 hours per week to unpaid work since the lockdown.

To relieve women of care burdens and enable them to work, some economies are pouring resources into childcare service. Malaysia’s Penjana Economic Stimulus Package enabled 1,785 childcare centers to jumpstart operations and provided US$72 support per single mother and PWD, food baskets, a US$12M grant for women entrepreneurs and US$33.6M to kickstart the digital economy. Singapore has kept its pre-schools and childcare open during the pandemic and supported employers to implement flexi-work arrangements. Chinese Taipei provides subsidies for children at childcare centers, while Canada has boosted its Child Benefit payments.

In partnership with the UN Women and Oxfam, the Philippine Commission on Women conducted a household care survey on unpaid care and domestic work during the pandemic. The Philippine reported an increase in the number of men doing household chores, going to the market to buy food and household needs, and helping take care of the children and the elderly.

Health and Wellness

Citing the importance of addressing health issues, China has equipped 1,074 hospitals to provide diagnostic and treatment services for women and children. It is also helping relieve women’s burden through e-books to address anxiety, and e-training modules for parenting at home. Canada has set up an online portal dedicated to mental wellness.

Domestic Violence

Several economies mentioned an increase in domestic violence as a result of the pandemic. This could possibly be due to psychological, financial, and emotional distress in men who resort to verbal or physical abuse towards family members. Even more alarming is the possible increased risk of teenage pregnancies as girls are forced to stay at home during the lockdown.

Japan has set up 24-hour hotlines with chat and email to support victims of domestic violence. Canada has allocated $50M to support women’s shelters and sexual assault centers.

Children’s Education

Access to education has likewise been severely affected by the pandemic. Initially, many economies closed their schools to keep children safe. With some economies opening up, the need to balance health and safety by implementing social distancing protocols while keeping education going has forced schools, including those in APEC member nations, to adopt blended learning. This has placed additional burden on women who have to supervise their children’s education at home and to tutor them, while pursuing their jobs or businesses and carrying on with family care. This situation has also made the digital divide even more apparent. The haves can afford to own gadgets and enjoy internet connection for online learning; the have-nots are forced to other options.

In the Philippines, the Department of Education is implementing a blended learning approach, which combines online remote learning and in-person delivery of printed materials to the homes of learners without internet access or digital facilities. A budget worth P3B has been allocated to assist state universities and colleges in developing smart campuses to implement flexible learning methods. In addition, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority is rolling out a ‘training for work’ scholarship program, and special employment training for displaced workers and OFWs.

Canada, meanwhile, is supporting education and skills development through monetary support for post-secondary students, increased scholarships for indigenous students, and a six-month moratorium on repayment of student loans.

Private Sector Engagement

The role of the private sector in addressing the pandemic is crucial. In the Philippines, the private sector initiated a survey among businesses that revealed the following challenges: adopting flexible work arrangements, adjusting to new ways of communication, implementing advanced safety measures and hazard pay, and establishing business continuity plans.

To this end, the Philippine Business Coalition for Women Empowerment launched the #WEECanDoIt webinar series on business continuity technological entrepreneurship, flexible work arrangements, safe workplaces, and mental health. Similarly, the Women’s Business Council Philippines has also conducted webinars on ensuring COVID-free workplaces, massive rapid testing, and operational excellence during the pandemic.

Female Leadership

Months into the pandemic, it is clear that countries led by women — such as Iceland, Finland, New Zealand, Germany and Taiwan — have been the most successful in addressing COVID-19, even minimizing its economic and health impact. With swift and decisive actions, these women leaders have taken the threat of the virus seriously from the get-go; communicated this clearly and consistently using traditional television and social media; and instituted measures such as widespread free testing, self-isolation, travel lockdown, and the use of technology for tracking. All these were done with empathy and care, unlike the strongarm tactics of male leaders. This experience dramatically highlights the difference in leadership styles between men and women, and the benefits that can be gained from having more women in leadership positions.

Gender Lens and Sex-Disaggregated Data

The economies agree on the importance of including a gender-perspective in their economic recovery plans to prevent the deepening of pre-existing inequalities in their economic, social and political systems. This makes the efficient collection and analysis of sex-disaggregated data vital in developing effective policies for women’s economic empowerment. By monitoring and reporting progress on key targets, the economies will know what needs to be done, and how they are progressing. Only then can the economies put in place the policies that will unlock the full potential of women to contribute to the global economy and achieve inclusive growth.

Indeed, there is much to do to empower women and advance their participation in the economy, especially with the global pandemic. We need to start work now.