Chart of the Week Gender Budgeting Is More Widespread But Implementation Remains a Challenge
The pandemic has deepened long-standing gender gaps, with women continuing to bear the burden of unpaid work.
How COVID-19 Will Increase Inequality in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies
By Gabriela Cugat and Futoshi Narita
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
Emerging markets and developing economies grew consistently in the two decades before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, allowing for much-needed gains in poverty reduction and life expectancy. The crisis now puts much of that progress at risk while further widening the gap between rich and poor.
Despite the pre-pandemic gains in poverty reduction and lifespans, many of these countries have struggled to reduce income inequality. At the same time, they saw persistently high shares of inactive youth (i.e., those not in employment, education, or training), wide inequality in education, and large gaps remaining in economic opportunities for women. COVID-19 is expected to make inequality even worse than past crises since measures to contain the pandemic have had disproportionate effects on vulnerable workers and women.
As part of our latest World Economic Outlook we explore two facts about the current pandemic to estimate its effect on inequality: a person’s ability to work from home and the drop in GDP expected for most countries in the world.
The impact of where you work
First, the ability to work from home has been key during the pandemic. A […]
Top 10 Blogs on COVID-19
By IMFBlog
The pandemic has altered people’s lives in both enormous and small ways. Our editors have picked the top recent blogs that dig into the details of what COVID-19 means for people: the impact on women and the young, what it means for the food supply, and how it can increase already growing inequality, to name a few. […]
Teleworking is Not Working for the Poor, the Young, and the Women
By Mariya Brussevich, Era Dabla-Norris, and Salma Khalid
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
The COVID-19 pandemic is devastating labor markets across the world. Tens of millions of workers lost their jobs, millions more out of the labor force altogether, and many occupations face an uncertain future. […]
The Economic Cost of Devaluing “Women’s Work”
Kristalina Georgieva, Cristian Alonso, Era Dabla-Norris, and Kalpana Kochhar
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
As much as half of the world’s work is unpaid. And most of it is done by women. […]
A Global Imperative
March 8 marks International Women’s Day, which provides a chance to reflect on the struggle for greater gender equality. […]
Do the Math: Include Women in Government Budgets
Every day, women around the world experience less opportunity than men in education and employment, and less political representation. […]
Equality for All
If you are born a girl, you may have to fight for your rights. And without rights, you will not only face discrimination, but also likely have a hard time getting the healthcare and education you will need to be a productive worker and thus have a hard time getting a good paying job. Without productive women in good jobs, the loss of potential output is large. […]
Economic Gains from Gender Inclusion: Even Greater than You Thought
By Christine Lagarde and Jonathan D. Ostry
November 28, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
Raising women’s participation in the workforce can give a bigger boost to growth than previously thought (photo: Ahrens/Steinbach Projekte/fotogloria/Newscom)
Despite some progress, the gaps in labor force participation between men and women remain large. […]
Women, Technology, and the Future of Work
By Era Dabla-Norris and Kalpana Kochhar
November 16, 2018
عربي, 中文, Español, Français, 日本語, Português, Русский
Women are currently underrepresented in fields experiencing job growth, such as engineering and information and communication technology (photo: Vgajic/iStock by Getty Images)
The way we work is changing at an unprecedented rate. Digitalization, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are eliminating many jobs involving low and middle-skill routine tasks through automation. […]