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	Women worked more hours than male partners during lock downs. This has to Change by Lidia Farre Associate Professor of Economics, Universitat de Barcelona Spain   June 2021   Women lost their jobs at higher rates than men in many countries during the Covid-19 pandemic. This partly explains why they did more of the domestic work during lockdowns, but it’s not the whole story. Women still took on a larger share of the childcare and household responsibilities when families stayed at home.   In a study conducted in Spain, we document that since the outbreak of the coronavirus disease the gender gap in the total number of hours worked each week, both paid and unpaid, increased by almost six hours. Women’s hours of paid work decreased, but not by as much as men’s, and they also devoted more time to unpaid work.   In this study, we also show that while men slightly increased their participation in domestic work, the burden continued to be disproportionately borne by women regardless of whether they had a job. Similar results have been found in the US, Italy and the UK.   In her pre-Covid lecture, Marianne Bertrand highlighted the importance of social norms in accounting for the persistence of gender inequality in industrialized countries. In short, most of the remaining gaps in labor market outcomes between men and women can be attributed to the presence of children.   Moreover, this child penalty seems to have a cultural origin. Society once deemed that women were the main caregivers, and ever since that view has persistently affected women’s job prospects.   The experience of the Covid-19 crisis offers additional evidence of the pervasive effects of these social norms. Women’s increased participation in unpaid work since the outbreak of the pandemic will be very costly for their professional careers if the trend is not reversed.   So, it is urgent to adopt measures to erase traditional norms and foster a more equal distribution of paid and unpaid work. Public policy and changes in the organization of work may be useful ways to counterbalance the devastating effects of conservative gender views.   Family policies such as paternity leave can encourage fathers to take on caregiving roles, and provide incentives for counter-stereotypical behaviors. Some studies have shown that introducing “daddy quotas” that reserve some paid parental leave for fathers increase not only men’s participation but also their involvement in childcare in the longer term.   In the current crisis, similar leave policies with separate entitlements for both mothers and fathers could have resulted in a more balanced distribution of the childcare burden.   In a survey conducted on a sample of Spanish households in November and December 2020 when schools reopened after the end of the first state of alarm, 28 percent of respondents reported that their children had to quarantine at home for a Covid-19-related issue. In 50 percent of those cases, mothers stayed home with their children. In the rest, kids stayed with fathers (27 percent), grandparents (13 percent) or other people (11 percent).   Work absences to take care of sick children were also more frequent among women before the pandemic. These absences have adverse effects on the employment prospects of women and justify the prevalence of statistical discrimination.   Therefore, in the post pandemic era, it would be desirable to introduce paid leave policies of equal duration for both parents to take care of children during a school closure or when the child cannot participate in regular academic activities. These policies would alleviate society’s unspoken demand that it’s a woman’s job to step in when a child stays home.   The pandemic has also led to important changes in the organization of work. In the spring of 2020, when the incidences of the virus were more severe, employees in many countries were asked to work from home. Since then, telecommuting has become popular. Work schedules have also become more flexible to allow for a balance between work and family.   While that flexibility can allow workers to keep their jobs when faced with increased family responsibilities, in the context of traditional gender norms it may reinforce women’s specialization in domestic work. Indeed, the higher presence of women in more flexible and family friendly occupations may have actually magnified the gender gap in unpaid work during the last months.   Workplace flexibility may be a desirable characteristic of employment. However, some measures are needed to foster equal participation by both men and women.   Recently, Nick Bloom highlighted the importance of moderating the number of days worked from home to preserve the benefits that come from being on the job. In addition, restricting telecommuting to a few days a week for everyone could prevent women from being pushed into taking on more unpaid work.   Work schedules should also be carefully redesigned to make them compatible with school hours. This will help to avoid the increasing participation of women in part-time work or their leaving work altogether.   Finally, affordable and high-quality childcare would allow women to invest more time in their professional lives, while reducing negotiations within the house about who spends more time taking care of the kids.   Policymakers should introduce carefully designed family policies and flexible work arrangements to promote a more egalitarian approach to unpaid work and pave the way for gender equality in the labor market and at home. The pandemic has shown us that without structural changes it's all too easy to head in the wrong direction. Visit the related web page
	Where are the girls and why it matters as schools reopen? by Plan, Unicef, Girls Not Brides, agencies   June 2021   Where are the girls and why it matters as schools reopen, by Wongani Grace Taulo, Omar Robles. (Unicef)   “Where are the girls?” It’s a question that is asked too much when stepping into classrooms around the world. And the further up the school years we go, the more the question bounces around an echo chamber.   Significant progress have been made in girls’ education. Between 1995 and 2018, 180 million more girls enrolled in primary and secondary school globally. However, a learning crisis persists – and COVID-19’s impact risks reversing these gains.   While the global learning crisis highlights deficient quality in education systems around the world, it goes much deeper for girls.   Girls face multiple vulnerabilities that inhibit their ability to access a basic education: risk of child marriage, early pregnancy, gender-based violence, female genital mutilation, sexual exploitation and child labour.   All these barriers are heightened during crises. Indeed, previous emergencies suggest that girls are at elevated risk of dropping out of school.   For example, teenage pregnancies increased during the Ebola crisis, with a high percentage of adolescent girls undergoing first-time pregnancy during the outbreak.   Life does not freeze during a pandemic. Some children have benefited from digital learning modalities, while others have had all learning opportunities removed.   Girls in particular face more pressure than boys to prioritize household chores and family care. And the fact is, even temporary lack of access makes it difficult to re-enter education.   School closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic could drive over 20 million more secondary school-aged girls out of school after the crisis has passed around the world.   Already, there are indications of a gender gap in re-enrolment. For example, in Kenya, only 84 per cent of adolescent girls have re-enrolled compared to 92 per cent of adolescent boys.   It does not have to be this way. We know what to do to ensure every girl’s right to education is realized. But it will require a concerted effort and considerable resources to make this happen.   Education systems need support to be more gender-responsive and prioritize girls’ safety, protection, and learning.   Every reopening and recovery plan must apply an equity and inclusion lens. We need to ask not just what children need to re-engage in education, but specifically, what do girls need?   How do we bring the learning environment to the most marginalized child? What options are there for affordable distance learning? What incentivizes their return to the classroom? How do we mobilize communities and parents to help them understand the value of educating their girls – and then support them to make that happen? How do we increase investments?   If we can ask these questions from the beginning of the recovery process, we can not only bring girls who had previously attended school back in, but also support previously out-of-school girls to enrol and stay in schools.   It is also paramount for girls to develop secondary-level knowledge and skills and become equipped to transition to further education and/or work.   Secondary education has a positive effect on cognitive skills, which correlates strongly with increased wages and GDP growth, poverty reduction, and reduced fertility and population growth. It can also protect them from early marriage and sexual exploitation.   http://www.unicef.org/education/girls-education http://plan-international.org/news/2021-06-14-g7-leaders-fund-ambitious-girls-education-targets http://plan-international.org/news/2021-05-10-girls-say-education-area-life-most-affected-covid-19 http://www.educationcannotwait.org/ http://saveourfuture.world/ http://www.globalpartnership.org/events/global-education-summit-financing-gpe-2021-2025 http://www.gi-escr.org/latest-news/amidst-covid-19-un-human-rights-council-reaffirms-recognition-of-the-abidjan-principles-public-statement http://www.ungei.org/news-views/blog http://www.girlsnotbrides.org/articles/   http://www.globalpartnership.org/blog/calling-africa-ensure-girls-go-back-school-post-covid-19-closures http://gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2021/06/18/supporting-vulnerable-adolescent-girls-to-continue-their-education-should-be-prioritised-in-recovery-plans-for-covid-19/ http://resourcecentre.savethechildren.net/library/global-girlhood-report-2021-girls-rights-crisis http://www.hrw.org/news/2021/07/14/new-pledges-end-child-marriage-francophone-africa http://www.hrw.org/report/2021/05/17/years-dont-wait-them/increased-inequalities-childrens-right-education-due-covid http://plan-international.org/news http://plan-international.org/blog   * Building back Equal: Girls back to school guide.   Authors: UNESCO, United Nations Children's Fund, PLAN International, United Nations Girls' Education Initiative, Malala Fund.   The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the largest disruption of education in history. Most governments around the world have temporarily closed schools and other learning spaces in recent months in an attempt to contain the spread of the virus.   At the peak of the pandemic in April 2020, these nationwide closures impacted more than 1.5 billion students, or over 90% of the world’s student population, from pre-primary to higher education in 200 countries.   This unprecedented disruption to education has the potential to roll back substantial gains made on girls’ education in recent decades, with broader immediate and longer-term effects on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, including those related to poverty reduction, health and well-being, inclusive quality education and gender equality.   The most marginalised, including girls with disabilities, those in conflict-affected contexts, remote and rural communities and those in the poorest quintile, are expected to be most affected by COVID-related school closures, facing additional constraints on their ability to fulfil their right to education, health and protection, among other rights.   As some schools and education institutions around the world have reopened and others are preparing to do so, governments, education sector officials, community leaders, teachers and school staff should see this as an opportunity to build back equal, through gender-responsive measures that transform education systems, prioritise resilience and address the key bottlenecks and barriers to girls’ education.   http://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000374094 http://en.unesco.org/news/unfulfilled-promise-12-years-education-every-girl http://en.unesco.org/themes/education-and-gender-equality http://campaignforeducation.org/en/2021/04/29/gce-and-gpe-joint-statement-call-for-more-and-better-education-financing/ http://www.ei-ie.org/en/workarea/1311:achieving-sustainable-development-goal-4
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