he COVID-19 pandemic shed light on long-standing social and economic inequalities. When families, health systems, and the global economy shifted into survival mode, it became nearly impossible to ignore the added pressures placed on women—particularly women of color and women earning lower- and middle-incomes. Of course, the existence of gender inequalities existed long before the pandemic and is well documented—as is the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women. Council of Women Leaders Secretary General Laura Liswood spoke to this point when she told a gathering at Salzburg Global Seminar this week—quoting a former boss—that you earn “two points for identifying the problem, eight for finding a solution.”
Liswood’s words kicked off Salzburg Global Seminar's Health and Economic Well-Being: Gender Equity in Post Pandemic Rebuilding which seeks to do just that—not only discuss already known problems but brainstorm tangible solutions. Over 50 participants from twenty-six countries gathered at Salzburg to examine how the inequalities in health risks, caring and economic responsibilities, and access to healthcare are rooted in the economic system and persisting inequitable gender norms. For each of the participants, gender equity is centered in their professional lives, whatever sector. As we enter a new phase of post-pandemic recovery, these participants are imagining changes that do not simply reinstate the society we had before the pandemic but create something new and more equitable.
The economy is a recurring topic of interest for this group. Gender inequality is largely rooted in the modern global economy. Our economy depends on the exploitation of certain working populations—including women. To this day, women perform an unequal share of unpaid domestic work, child-rearing, and caring for children and elderly people. This unregulated “care economy” has been normalized in society, holding women back from joining the labor force—or from taking part equally when they do join it. It is the “care economy” and the gender norms it perpetuates that have enabled the gender pay gap and occupational segregation (when a certain gender dominates a particular sector) to persist, even as governments try to curb gender inequality. It also feeds into the disproportionate representation of men in managerial and leadership positions and can make work environments hostile for the women that do make it into senior-level positions.
Chidi King, Chief of the Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Branch at the International Labor Organization, pointed out a negative feedback loop caused by the pandemic and care economy. Around 20 million mothers left the workforce during the pandemic lockdowns to spend more time on unpaid labor. If we are to fully recover from the adverse economic impacts of the pandemic, we need those women to be able to reintegrate into the workforce. So, “if we want economic recovery,” King told participants of Salzburg Global’s program, “we need to change things drastically.”
Part of that change will need to be ideological. It is imperative the world redefines productivity to be inclusive and equitable. By looking at the shortcomings of parental leave policies, the participants have also underscored the importance of changing gender norms to successfully redistribute care work.
Ideological change is long-term and likely more costly than business as usual. At a time when many governments are looking to cut spending after the pandemic, any solutions to move gender equity forward in the near-term must also be fiscally realistic. Participants at Salzburg Global’s program discussed how money might be redistributed to create new and easier ways to invest in female businesses as well as transferring some defense-industry funds to gender equity projects.
Over the remainder of the program, which kicked off October 17 and runs through October 22, participants in Salzburg will come up with realistic ways to implement these remedies—solutions that can be taken back to their workplaces and home countries. There is also talk of how they can join forces once this seminar is over to address inequity cross-nationally.
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Dismantling Gender Inequality As Part of the Post-Pandemic Recovery
Photo courtesy of Salzburg Global Seminar.
October 20, 2022
This week, Salzburg Global Seminar kicked off a program examining not only how gender inequalities were worsened by the pandemic, but how integral empowering gender equity will be to post-pandemic economic recovery, writes Diplomatic Courier Correspondent Millie Brigaud from Salzburg.
T
he COVID-19 pandemic shed light on long-standing social and economic inequalities. When families, health systems, and the global economy shifted into survival mode, it became nearly impossible to ignore the added pressures placed on women—particularly women of color and women earning lower- and middle-incomes. Of course, the existence of gender inequalities existed long before the pandemic and is well documented—as is the disproportionate impact of the pandemic on women. Council of Women Leaders Secretary General Laura Liswood spoke to this point when she told a gathering at Salzburg Global Seminar this week—quoting a former boss—that you earn “two points for identifying the problem, eight for finding a solution.”
Liswood’s words kicked off Salzburg Global Seminar's Health and Economic Well-Being: Gender Equity in Post Pandemic Rebuilding which seeks to do just that—not only discuss already known problems but brainstorm tangible solutions. Over 50 participants from twenty-six countries gathered at Salzburg to examine how the inequalities in health risks, caring and economic responsibilities, and access to healthcare are rooted in the economic system and persisting inequitable gender norms. For each of the participants, gender equity is centered in their professional lives, whatever sector. As we enter a new phase of post-pandemic recovery, these participants are imagining changes that do not simply reinstate the society we had before the pandemic but create something new and more equitable.
The economy is a recurring topic of interest for this group. Gender inequality is largely rooted in the modern global economy. Our economy depends on the exploitation of certain working populations—including women. To this day, women perform an unequal share of unpaid domestic work, child-rearing, and caring for children and elderly people. This unregulated “care economy” has been normalized in society, holding women back from joining the labor force—or from taking part equally when they do join it. It is the “care economy” and the gender norms it perpetuates that have enabled the gender pay gap and occupational segregation (when a certain gender dominates a particular sector) to persist, even as governments try to curb gender inequality. It also feeds into the disproportionate representation of men in managerial and leadership positions and can make work environments hostile for the women that do make it into senior-level positions.
Chidi King, Chief of the Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Branch at the International Labor Organization, pointed out a negative feedback loop caused by the pandemic and care economy. Around 20 million mothers left the workforce during the pandemic lockdowns to spend more time on unpaid labor. If we are to fully recover from the adverse economic impacts of the pandemic, we need those women to be able to reintegrate into the workforce. So, “if we want economic recovery,” King told participants of Salzburg Global’s program, “we need to change things drastically.”
Part of that change will need to be ideological. It is imperative the world redefines productivity to be inclusive and equitable. By looking at the shortcomings of parental leave policies, the participants have also underscored the importance of changing gender norms to successfully redistribute care work.
Ideological change is long-term and likely more costly than business as usual. At a time when many governments are looking to cut spending after the pandemic, any solutions to move gender equity forward in the near-term must also be fiscally realistic. Participants at Salzburg Global’s program discussed how money might be redistributed to create new and easier ways to invest in female businesses as well as transferring some defense-industry funds to gender equity projects.
Over the remainder of the program, which kicked off October 17 and runs through October 22, participants in Salzburg will come up with realistic ways to implement these remedies—solutions that can be taken back to their workplaces and home countries. There is also talk of how they can join forces once this seminar is over to address inequity cross-nationally.
