Multiple studies have found that during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, women have been disproportionately affected by job loss, burnout, and were at greater risk of domestic violence.

The pandemic has proven to be a major challenge for gender equality across Southeast Asia, with existing inequalities exacerbated, Dr. Lourdesita Sobrevega-Chan reported during the Women Care, Women Prepare, We All Prosper: ASEAN Women Leadership in times of COVID-19 hosted by the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW).

Sobrevega-Chan, who represents the Philippines in the ASEAN Commission on the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children (ACWC), said the pandemic particularly impacted women.

Citing a gender outlook research, Sobrevega-Chain noted that the Gini coefficient and index of inequality across Southeast Asia went from .44 to .31.

"The pandemic advertently challenged , if not reversed," she added.

Women's income

While the poverty in the region "had been slashed" in the past years, women "are still likely to live in poverty than men," according to the ASEAN gender outlook statistics.

Sobrevega-Chan also stressed the importance of having economic resources in dealing with the pandemic.

She added that 58 percent of women still earn less than their male partners.

"Women with children are worse off. In 2019, maternity cash benefits reached only 33 percent of women.

A United Nations (UN) policy briefer on the impact of COVID-19 in Southeast Asia revealed that economic impacts are felt by women and girls who generally earn less, save less, hold unsecured jobs, and live close to poverty.

The hardest hit of the outbreak, Sobrevega-Chan added, are women in the manufacturing, tourism, hospitality, retail, and service industry sectors.

The first edition of the International Labour Organization (ILO) reported in 2020 that women are overrepresented in more affected sectors or in occupations that are in the frontline of dealing with the pandemic.

The ILO estimated that 58.6 percent of employed women work in the services sector around the world, compared to 45.4 percent of men.

"Women also have less access to social protection and will bear a disproportionate burden in the economy in the case of closure of schools or care systems," Sobrevega-Chan said.

Digital exclusion

A UN briefer showed that fewer women than men received information to prepare for COVID-19.

In the Philippines, Sobrevega-Chan reported that 79 percent of female respondents said they "did not receive any information about the virus" compared to 57 percent of men.

"It's not only about access, but meaningful access to information communications technology," she added, citing another survey that found that almost every Filipina had mobile phones, but only 21 percent of them used the mobile phone to access important information on health and legal rights.

Lack of protective measures

While lockdowns have helped curb the spread of COVID-19, Sobrevega-Chan noted that these measures rendered women more vulnerable to domestic violence.

"The constraints imposed on mobility made it difficult for women to seek help when they have no access to digital facilities," she continued.

"High economic and social stresses coupled with restricted movement and isolation have increased gender-based violence (GBV)."

Nine percent of women and girls experienced physical and sexual violence by an intimate partner in the past 12 months, another survey found.

Sobrevega-Chan said that GBV response services need to be prioritized and recognized as life-saving and essential.

In 2020, the Commission on Human Rights launched an online reported portal for GBV during the lockdown.

Similarly, the PCW and the Inter-Agency Council on Violence Against Women and their Children sustained referral services through email, social media, and mobile calls.

Directives were also given to local government units to ensure their Violence Against Women and Children (VAWC) Desks continued to function as the first lines of response for survivors.