How Useful the Stimulus Packages Have Been for Women in Tackling the Impact of Covid-19
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused massive economic, human and social losses which are both pervasive and profound. Early evidence suggests that women and girls have been disproportionately harmed by the adverse impacts of COVID-19. As the pandemic rages on, governments around the world have risen up to the occasion and provided relief, liquidity support and fiscal stimuli. This study assesses the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls in Bangladesh and evaluates whether the Bangladesh government’s measures to respond to the crisis have been gender-sensitive. Through a primary survey on women entrepreneurs conducted in October 2020, a review of secondary information, as well as key informant interviews (KIIs) and an expert group meeting (EGM), it was found that most women entrepreneurs were not aware of government’s measures and the majority of women did not receive government’s support. A number of underlying factors which hinder women from benefitting from the government’s COVID-19 support were uncovered, and a set of concrete policies have been recommended to ensure that the government’s COVID-19 response is impactful, inclusive, transparent and accountable.
This research was conducted by Dr Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and Mr Syed Yusuf Saadat, Senior Research Associate, CPD, as part of the “Rapid assessment of the gender and human rights dimensions of proposed socio-economic recovery measures by the Government of Bangladesh, including stimulus measures” project supported by the UN Women.
Authors: Fahmida Khatun and Syed Yusuf Saadat
Publication period: September 2021