Latin America Advisor

The Covid-19 pandemic will set back Latin American and Caribbean women’s participation in the work force by a decade, according to a new report by the U.N. Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean. The rate of female employment in the region fell to 46 percent in 2020 from 52 percent a year earlier, while the rate for men dropped to 69 percent from 73.6 percent over the same period. What are the most significant factors explaining the plunge in the women’s employment rate last year, and what consequences does the drop have for the regional economy and social dynamics? Are the underlying reasons for the decline temporary or structural? Is the trend likely to be reversed soon, and what tools do governments have to create good job opportunities and, ultimately, better well-being for women?