New evidence of gender inequality during COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East and North Africa
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered employment and income distribution, impacting women and men differently. This study investigates the negative effects of COVID-19 on the labour market, focusing on the gender gap in five countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2023-07-01
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| Series: | Heliyon |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023049137 |
| _version_ | 1797771528662679552 |
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| author | Suzan Abdel-Rahman Fuad A. Awwad Muhammad Qasim Mohamed R. Abonazel |
| author_facet | Suzan Abdel-Rahman Fuad A. Awwad Muhammad Qasim Mohamed R. Abonazel |
| author_sort | Suzan Abdel-Rahman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered employment and income distribution, impacting women and men differently. This study investigates the negative effects of COVID-19 on the labour market, focusing on the gender gap in five countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The study indicates whether women are more susceptible to losing their jobs, either temporarily or permanently, switching their primary occupation, and experiencing decreased working hours and income compared to men during the COVID-19 outbreak. The study utilizes a multivariate Probit model to estimate the relationship between gender and adverse labour outcomes controlling for correlations among outcomes. Data are obtained from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household Survey, covering Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and Sudan. The findings of this study offer empirical evidence of the gender gap in labour market outcomes during the pandemic. Women are more likely than men to experience negative work outcomes, such as permanent job loss and change in their main job. The increased childcare and housework responsibilities have significantly impacted women's labour market outcomes during the pandemic. However, the availability of telework has reduced the likelihood of job loss among women. The study's results contribute to a better understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on gender inequality in understudied MENA countries. Mitigation policies should focus on supporting vulnerable women who have experienced disproportionate negative effects of COVID-19. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:38:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-e1b19fdacf8948ab91e9a8cd45b867d9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2405-8440 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-12T21:38:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Heliyon |
| spelling | doaj.art-e1b19fdacf8948ab91e9a8cd45b867d92023-07-27T05:57:08ZengElsevierHeliyon2405-84402023-07-0197e17705New evidence of gender inequality during COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East and North AfricaSuzan Abdel-Rahman0Fuad A. Awwad1Muhammad Qasim2Mohamed R. Abonazel3Department of Demography and Biostatistics, Faculty of Graduate Studies for Statistical Research, Cairo University, Giza, EgyptDepartment of Quantitative Analysis, College of Business Administration, King Saud University, P.O. Box 71115, Riyadh, 11587, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Economics, Finance and Statistics, Jönköping University, Jönköping, SwedenDepartment of Applied Statistics and Econometrics, Faculty of Graduate Studies for Statistical Research, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt; Corresponding author.The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly altered employment and income distribution, impacting women and men differently. This study investigates the negative effects of COVID-19 on the labour market, focusing on the gender gap in five countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The study indicates whether women are more susceptible to losing their jobs, either temporarily or permanently, switching their primary occupation, and experiencing decreased working hours and income compared to men during the COVID-19 outbreak. The study utilizes a multivariate Probit model to estimate the relationship between gender and adverse labour outcomes controlling for correlations among outcomes. Data are obtained from the Combined COVID-19 MENA Monitor Household Survey, covering Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, and Sudan. The findings of this study offer empirical evidence of the gender gap in labour market outcomes during the pandemic. Women are more likely than men to experience negative work outcomes, such as permanent job loss and change in their main job. The increased childcare and housework responsibilities have significantly impacted women's labour market outcomes during the pandemic. However, the availability of telework has reduced the likelihood of job loss among women. The study's results contribute to a better understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on gender inequality in understudied MENA countries. Mitigation policies should focus on supporting vulnerable women who have experienced disproportionate negative effects of COVID-19.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023049137Employment outcomesGender gapJob lossIncome reductionsMENA regionMultivariate probit model |
| spellingShingle | Suzan Abdel-Rahman Fuad A. Awwad Muhammad Qasim Mohamed R. Abonazel New evidence of gender inequality during COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East and North Africa Heliyon Employment outcomes Gender gap Job loss Income reductions MENA region Multivariate probit model |
| title | New evidence of gender inequality during COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East and North Africa |
| title_full | New evidence of gender inequality during COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East and North Africa |
| title_fullStr | New evidence of gender inequality during COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East and North Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | New evidence of gender inequality during COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East and North Africa |
| title_short | New evidence of gender inequality during COVID-19 outbreak in the Middle East and North Africa |
| title_sort | new evidence of gender inequality during covid 19 outbreak in the middle east and north africa |
| topic | Employment outcomes Gender gap Job loss Income reductions MENA region Multivariate probit model |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405844023049137 |
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