29 March 2022 | Report/Paper

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on gender norms in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam

Summary

Through conducting a systematised review of academic databases and the publications of non-government organisations, multilateral organisations, civil society organisations, and private sector companies, IW aims to understand the crisis’ impact on women and girls, recognise existing initiatives, and identify opportunities to further drive positive shifts toward achieving greater equality.

Findings from the review show that the pandemic has a significant economic impact on women and girls in Indonesia. In the Philippines, women face increased care burdens, while Vietnamese women experience reduced work hours due to the pandemic. The report also shows that there is increased gender-based violence during the pandemic.

Despite the negative economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on women and girls, the report finds that there are opportunities that different stakeholders can leverage to shift towards more equitable gender norms. It goes on to explore main areas where private sector partners appear to have responded to gender concerns during the pandemic such as:

  • Identifying and assessing the risks and impacts related to COVID-19 crisis;

  • Ensuring health, safety, and protection of livelihoods for workers;

  • Violence and harassment;

  • Flexible working and caring responsibilities;

  • Filling gender gaps in digitalisation;

  • Resilient supply chains and responsible purchasing decisions; and

  • Women’s voice and leadership.

 

Contents

  • Acronyms
  • Definitions
  • Executive summary
    • Impact on women’s employment, carework, and experiences of violence
    • Challenges and opportunities for shifting gender norms
    • Positive and negative forces for progressing shifts in gender norms
  • Introduction
    • Background
    • Report overview
  • Methodology
    • Research questions
    • Method
      • Peer reviewed research
      • Non-academic research
    • Analysis
    • Limitations
  • Findings and discussion
    • Impact on women’s employment, carework, and experiences of violence
      • Indonesia
      • Philippines
      • Vietnam
    • Challenges and opportunities for shifting gender norms
      • Identifying and assessing the risks and impacts related to the COVID-19 crisis
      • Ensuring the health, safety, and protection of livelihoods for workers
      • Violence and harassment
      • Flexible working and caring responsibilities
      • Filling gender gaps in digitalisation
      • Resilient supply chains and responsible purchasing decisions
      • Women’s voice and leadership
    • Positive and negative forces for progressing shifts in gender norms
      • Workplaces
      • Government
      • Investors
      • Civil society organisations
  • Conclusion
  • Reference list
  • Appendix 1: Search strategy

Highlights

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