Study shows that Women Worked 173 more Unpaid Childcare Hours during the Pandemic.

Across the world schools shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, leading to huge childcare

demands at home. However, the split between men and women providing childcare was not equal.

A study released by the Centre for Global Development (CGD) found that women provided an extra 173 hours

of unpaid childcare during the pandemic compared to men. Using data from the Organization for Ecomomic

Co-operation and Development (OECD), the non-profit organization was able to estimate the gender breakdown

of workloads pre-COVID-19 and throughout the pandemic.

In low- and middle -income countries, women between the ages of 15 and 64 worked an additional 217 unpaid

hours compared to 70 additional hours for men.

The research estimated that globally school and preschool closures created the need for 672 hours of additional

unpaid childcare from January to October 2020. Globally, women ages 15 to 64 provided approximately 173

additional unpaid childcare hours compared to 59 additional hours for men.

Countries with the biggest gender gaps are:

• Pakistan – with women working 390 hours and men working 36 hours.

• India – with women working 360 hours and men working 33 hours.

• Mali – with women working 300 hours and men working 17 hours.

• Tunisia – with women working 170 hours and men working 23 hours.

• Algeria – with women working 130 hours and men working 19 hours.

Some governments across the world have tried to help families with childcare needs. In Canada, for example, families with a net income of $120,000 or less are entitled to receive a Child Care Benefit (CCB) of $300 per payment

for each child under the age of six.

The study also suggests that the large gap between men and women taking on unpaid childcare may have been one factor behind the fall in women's employment and closure of women-owned firms during the pandemic. In last month's job numbers, the decline in employment among women aged 25 to 54 was 36,000 compared to 20,000 for men in the same age group.

You can view the study here.