A double crisis: the gendered impacts of COVID-19 on Syrian refugee women in Jordan

Abstract

This study explores the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and its accompanying measures, such as lockdowns, business closures and social distancing, on refugee women’s working and living conditions. Based on semi-structured interviews with Syrian refugee women and representatives of national and international organisations in Jordan, the research highlights the extent of structural power imbalances in gender. The research findings show that COVID-19 and its associated restrictions have severely impacted Syrian refugee women’s economic security and well-being because of existing inequalities and post-migration vulnerabilities. The findings also suggest that the inequalities regard to the structural power imbalances in gender roles made Syrian women more vulnerable compared to their male counterparts in the face of the COVID-19 crisis in Jordan. Furthermore, the COVID-19 restrictions led refugees to confinement at home, with an increased risk of domestic violence. Finally, the findings suggest that a gendered analysis of the vulnerabilities is required when government agencies or humanitarian organisations plan their programmes and services during a global health crisis.