Gender Perspective to COVID -19 Pandemic: Assessing the Impact on Women

Abstract

Evidently it is no longer news that the pandemic Covid19 effect is beyond health crises. The entire global environment in one way or the other has respond to the pandemic strategically. However, COVID-19 as showed that it is gender sensitive and remains an arrested development to humanity. This research work explores gender perspective to COVID-19 pandemic: assessing the impacts on women. The aim of this paper is to highlight the challenges and problems confronting women at this point of our life which many as referred to as ‘New Normal’ through a conceptual approach. Feminist theory was adopted .This research work is motivated by the question; what are the peculiar and specific issues confronting women in this pandemic era? As part of it findings, this research work discover the following ;death, rape, sexual exploitation, sexual and gender based violence, human rights abused, lost of livelihood, job loss, murder, humiliation and gender disparities are recurrent threat to women under COVID-19 phenomena. Meanwhile, gender is a variable key in development and compels nations globally to signed and ratified international commitments on gender equality and equity. With the outbreak of the pandemic and impact on women, we expect government to put in place realistic policy and programes to reduce, alleviate and limit women suffering under the COVID-19 pandemic as well as measures towards the achievement of gender mainstreaming and equality. The study therefore recommends; gender balance, women’s economic empowerment, palliative, security, protection, and awareness regarding gender specific issues arising from COVID-19 pandemic as government’s commitment that must move away from paper to practical policies prism, at all levels of governments.