Surveys show that COVID-19 has gendered effects in Asia and the Pacific
In April 2020, two weeks after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, UN Women’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) started rolling out rapid assessment surveys to quickly capture its gendered consequences across the region. The surveys have been distributed among millions of people and are showing that women and men are experiencing the effects of the pandemic differently.
UN Women conducted surveys in 11 Asia-Pacific countries, 8 of which are highlighted here.* Weights were applied to adjust for age, sex and educational attainment. The analyses presented here reflect the situation in these countries and not meant to be generalized for the entire region.
Read the report: Unlocking the lockdown: The gendered effects of COVID-19 on achieving the SDGS in Asia and the Pacific
Related story: COVID-19 may be prompting men to help out at home, evidence from the Maldives suggests
More information:
- View the methodological note on data collection
- Read the guidance document on producing rapid assessment surveys
- Get the latest global data on COVID cases by sex
Fewer women than men are receiving necessary information to prepare for COVID-19
In Bangladesh and Pakistan, women are less likely to receive information about COVID-19 than men. Differences in cellphone ownership, access to the Internet and educational attainment might be keeping some women away from potentially life-saving information. As women tend to play an important role in promoting hygiene routines within the household and caring for family members, their access to reliable sources of COVID-19 information is particularly essential.
Proportion of population able to access COVID-19 information, by sex
Source: UN Women Rapid Assessment Survey on the socio-economic consequences of COVID-19 on women’s and men’s economic empowerment (23 April 2020).
Notes: Responses from countries were as follows: Bangladesh n=2,296; Cambodia n=1,153; Maldives n=4,730; Nepal n=8,028; Pakistan n=2,512; Philippines n=1,883; Thailand n=5,020. Weights were applied to adjust for age, sex and educational attainment.
The COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting women’s mental and emotional health
Although infection rates and morbidity data show that men are more likely to contract and die from the COVID-19 virus, the emotional impact of the pandemic is disproportionately falling on women’s shoulders in most countries. Increases in unpaid care and domestic work, job and income loss, and the effects of the lockdown on gender-based violence are among the factors that may be contributing to higher rates of stress and anxiety among women. As opposed to all other countries, in Bangladesh slightly more men have reported being affected mentally/emotionally compared to women.
Source: https://data.unwomen.org/resources/surveys-show-covid-19-has-gendered-effects-asia-and-pacific
