Women, girls more at risk during pandemic

Women may be at risk of greater exposure to Covid-19 because of occupational gender segregation. For instance, in Malaysia, women make up 97% of all nurses, meaning that more women are at risk as a result of their profession. — Filepic/The Star

A policy brief published by the United Nations on April 9, 2020, highlights how the circumstances created by the Covid-19 pandemic have compounded gender inequality, with economic impacts disproportionately affecting women and girls, the reallocation of healthcare resources addressing the unique needs of women and girls, and the increase of unpaid care work and gender-based violence.

Without targeted and gender-sensitive measures addressing both the short-term and long-term effects of the current crisis, we are at risk of losing even those limited and hard-fought gains made towards the realisation of gender equality in Malaysia over the past two decades.