The Gendered Face of COVID-19 in the Global South : The Development, Gender and Health Nexus

The Covid-19 pandemic embroiled the entire globe in a health challenge that has tested the capacities of countries and societies everywhere. The pandemic has also provoked a full-scale development crisis, with the most marginalised in society shouldering the greatest burden, epidemiological, socially and economically. Nowhere is this challenge felt more acutely than in the Global South, where deeply embedded structural inequalities have been exacerbated, and the poorest and most vulnerable have been left struggling to survive the impact of the pandemic combined with the day-to-day impacts of gendered, racialized, uneven and fragmented development. Since the very beginning of the pandemic, experts at all levels have warned that the most marginalised girls and women in the Global South would be disproportionately negatively impacted by the pandemic and the policies introduced to deal with it. We show how, in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, governments failed to grasp the importance of gender in their pandemic responses, viewing it as peripheral, rather than central, to a sustainable and equitable exit from the costs of Covid 19. Women and girls are not casual collateral damage of policy making during Covid-19, we argue. Rather, the price they are paying can be explained by the long-term failure to take gender seriously in development. Front Cover The Gendered Face of Covid-19 in the Global South Copyright information Dedication Table of contents About the Authors Acknowledgments Introduction: Derailing Development, Exacerbating Gender Injustice The crisis of global development Gender, health and development during and after COVID-19 Scope, methods and coverage ONE Gender, Development and COVID-19: More of the Same is Not Working Introduction Gender, intersectionality and development Why focus on women and girls? Development crises are gendered – COVID-19 is no exception COVID-19 policy responses: the risk of failing to protect and empower women Feminist political economy (FPE): the importance of understanding gendered violence and gendered depletion Is a feminist COVID-19 recovery possible? Conclusion TWO Unequal Development: What Lies Beneath COVID-19’s Gender Politics? Introduction Gendered vulnerabilities and the global political economy COVID-19 and the inequalities of access to finance The global economy: debt is burdening the most vulnerable during COVID-19 The debt burden is not gender-neutral COVID-19’s development impact: gender and the wider Sustainable Development Goals Building back better inclusively Conclusion THREE Regional Governance: A Missed Opportunity to Tackle COVID-19’s Gendered Inequalities? Introduction Regionalism in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa: what do regional organizations aspire to do in health crises? Gendering policy: what role for regional organizations? Regional responses to COVID-19: advocating for gendered policies, working with civil society, providing logistical support and (limited) financial help Advocacy and information Logistical and financial support Explaining the limited impact of effective regionalism for women’s rights during the pandemic Conclusion FOUR Exacerbating Inequalities: Gender-Based Violence and Sexual and Reproductive Health Introduction Gender-based violence before COVID-19 Responding to COVID-19: calls for gender-based protections Sharp rises in gender-based violence in 2020: a crisis foretold Despite warnings and growing evidence, national policy response falls short Sexual and reproductive health: uneven provision even before COVID-19 Pandemics increase sexual and reproductive health risks Girls and adolescents are especially vulnerable during COVID-19 Migrant women and girls face extra risks and barriers to sexual and reproductive health2 Reproductive needs and rights are not respected Historical gains for feminist activism Conclusion FIVE Exacerbating the Gender Gap: COVID-19 and Gendered Inequalities in Work and Education Introduction Precarious work and the gendered challenges of COVID-19 Informal women workers Paid domestic workers Unpaid domestic and care work Government responses: how far have they protected vulnerable women workers? COVID-19: barriers to girls’ education Conclusion Conclusion COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and provoked new challenges None of this was a surprise What explains gender-inequitable policy responses to COVID-19? Where do we go from here? An eight-point plan to build back better for girls and women References Index Back Cover In this important book, experts assess what the COVID-19 pandemic means for gender inequalities in the global south, examining how threats to equitable development will impact the most marginalized and at-risk women and girls in particular. The book draws on research across sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America to examine COVID-19-related issues around gender-based violence, work and care, education and health care, and asks whether global responses are enough to mitigate the negative outcomes of deepening gender inequality. It is a guide to stimulate the important debate about how to promote women’s rights during the management and recovery phases of the pandemic.In this important book, experts assess what the COVID-19 pandemic means for gender inequalities in the global south, examining how threats to equitable development will impact the most marginalized and at-risk women and girls in particular. The book draws on research across sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America to examine COVID-19-related issues around gender-based violence, work and care, education and health care, and asks whether global responses are enough to mitigate the negative outcomes of deepening gender inequality. It is a guide to stimulate the important debate about how to promote women’s rights during the management and recovery phases of the pandemic