A year after the coronavirus outbreak, the social and economic fallout could have a long-term impact on gender equality, threatening the progress made and potentially pushing an additional 47 million women and girls below the poverty line worldwide.
Last year marked the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the UN’s Beijing Declaration aimed at the advancement of women around the globe, but there is still a long way to go before gender equality is achieved. According to the European Institute for Gender Equality’s Index 2020 (based on data from 2018), the EU scores 67.9% on gender equality and is at least 60 years away from reaching complete equality at the current pace.
Find out how the European Parliament fights for gender equality
More women on the Covid-19 frontline
Of the 49 million care workers in the EU, who have been most exposed to the virus, around 76% are women.
The biggest EU imbalance was in Latvia – with women making up 88% of the healthcare work force, compared to 53% in Malta).
In addition, women are over-represented in essential services ranging from sales to childcare places, which remained open during the pandemic. In the EU, women account for 82% of all cashiers and represent 95% of workers in domestic cleaning and home help fields.
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