Jakarta, IO – UN Women Goodwill Ambassador Anne Hathaway said it would take up to three centuries to achieve gender equality in the world. One reason being the pandemic has hit women’s position very adversely, especially on the loss of economic opportunities compared to men.
“Well, it is my regret to share this with you that during the pandemic, women did an additional 512 billion hours of unpaid care work at home,” said Anne, according to UN Women Asia and the Pacific YouTube broadcast, Tuesday (15/11).
Even before the pandemic, women were spending more than three times as much on unpaid household chores. She emphasized that the world must overcome the cultural bias that automatically labels domestic work as “women’s work.”
“It was unfair then, it’s worse now. It’s time to admit something is very, very off,” said Anne.
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Moreover, she also disclosed data on millions of women leaving the job market in 2020. Women are losing jobs at a faster rate than men.
“This year, in 169 countries and areas (that’s most of the world), women’s labour force participation is expected to stay below pre-pandemic levels,” she added, calling on the governments to support care services, pay the taxes that fund them, and prioritize the creation of family friendly workplaces which include flexible working hours, paid parental leave, and in house childcare facilities. (at)