Labour market gender gaps in the time of COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

ABSTRACT The trend of declining gender gaps in labour market indicators in Latin America in previous decades did not change significantly in most countries during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, (i) women were harder hit in terms of employment losses during the 2020 shock; (ii) in 2021 they often remained less likely to work compared to 2019; and, (iii) in some countries the gender gap in employment rates widened. Accumulated income losses were larger for women in most cases. Women with lower education levels, aged 14–24, living in urban areas, and working in the tertiary sector were the most affected.