A review on the gendered impact of COVID-19 pandemic towards achieving sustainable development goals in Bangladesh: Ecofeminist perspectives on the response to COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

In this article, we have reviewed how the women of Bangladesh are negatively exposed to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of quality education, employment loss, labour market contribution, domestic violence, and health and wellness, thus putting their lives at more significant risk. We have employed the Drivers-Pressures-States-Impact-Response (DPSIR) framework to analyze the gendered effects of COVID-19 on some specific Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh. We have purposively selected five SDGs, SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 5 (gender equality), and SDG 8 (decent work & economic growth), those have direct effects on women's livelihood and well-being. Our DPSIR framework analysis has shown that gendered vulnerabilities have been exacerbated due to the COVID-19 situation with multiple pre-existing socio-cultural norms and various state policies like patriarchal values, stay-home policies etc. As SDG 1 focuses on poverty reduction, and SDG 8 focuses on decent work and economic growth, unemployment, losing job opportunities and economic downturn due to the pandemic have slowed down national growth as well as increased poverty in the country. With excessive pressure on the health sector to deal with COVID-19, women’s essential maternal, sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services were neglected and health disparities were also observed. Thus, many women and adolescent girls could not access SRH services when needed that led to a myriad of consequences for SDG 3 achievements. The prolonged shutdown of educational institutes resulted in mass school dropouts, mental health problems, and higher risks of child labour and child marriage among girl children which has significant negative impacts on the achievement of SDG 4. Due to COVID-19-related preventive measures, such as social distancing, and lockdown, women have been involved to do more care and household job following traditional gender roles, experienced work from home, and a ‘shadow pandemic’ domestic violence amidst the COVID-19. Consequently, the overall gender gap has increased (SDG 5). We have argued that the existing neoliberal market economy has failed to save the global society from a pandemic, therefore, it is important to rethink its development targets and indicators. Moreover, a paradigm shift is recommended by deconstructing present economic systems to build a resilient society based on the caring relationships among nature, humans, and society embracing an ecofeminist perspective.