Unlocking the Lockdown: Understanding the Gendered Effects of COVID-19 in Afghanistan

The 2020 Gender-Differentiated Consequences of COVID-19 Survey, aiming toward “assessing gendered impacts of COVID-19 on the population of Afghanistan”, has been published to encour­age the promotion of a gender-sensitive response to the unfolding humanitarian situation which puts the needs of women and girls at the fore.

The overall objectives of the survey are to understand the gender-specific impacts of COVID-19 in Afghanistan; develop country-specific, sex-disaggregated data and corresponding gender analysis to inform COVID-19 policy and programming response; and build understanding on the gendered impacts of COVID-19, particularly in relation to changes in employment, access to health, and un­paid domestic and care work in the home.

The 2020 UN Women-IRC survey highlights COVID-19-related impacts on women and men in terms of their gender profiles as aligned with social and societal norms. Acknowledging existing gender stereotypes and stigmas as the main factors fueling ongoing tensions in the name of gender roles, the survey analyses data collected in Afghanistan during the first months of the COVID-19 outbreak on: people’s access to and sources of information on the pandemic; challenges in access­ing health care services; loss of employment; reduction in household income; the burden of unpaid domestic care; the effects of school closures; access to water; and triggers of migration and dis­placement.