Gender and Economic Downturn. The Focus on Women and the Pandemic Crisis

Abstract The goal of the paper is to consider whether women are vulnerable or protected on the labour market during the pandemic crisis, seeking answers in the wider context of previous downturns and economic theory. In times of crisis, female employment is likely to be more susceptible to cuts, for several reasons explained i.a. by the flexible buffers hypothesis or sex segregation hypothesis. Since the pandemic crisis is still unfolding, many of its effects are still unknown but it can be expected that the COVID-19 crisis may have an unequal impact on women and men. Additional challenges in this crisis can be found in the home. Gender effects vary across EU countries, however, it is essential to develop at both the European and national level effective policy responses leading to gender balance in various dimensions (including paid and unpaid work).