Half the world carries a heavier pandemic burden
These people are falling farther behind, out of sight.
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The Worldwise View
For some weeks now, I’ve seen a fairly regular flow of stories about how the pandemic is affecting this half of the population.
It doesn’t seem to matter to the core business of managing COVID. The stories live on the margins.
But they paint a striking picture.
What’s happening?
This half of the population is less likely to be in a position of making decisions about the pandemic, and less likely to be quoted as experts with authoritative views in media reporting about Covid-19. (IWMF + Guardian + CNN)
If they work in academic research, they’re likely to publish less because, without equal responsibility, caring for the children leaves less time. This will hold their careers back for some time to come. (THE + Scientific American + Nature)
Those who aren’t academics and work in places like shops, or hotels, or running their own businesses are more likely to suffer job cuts or losses. And they’re more likely to fall into poverty. (Reuters + NPR + Devex)
If they’re young, out of school and in the wrong part of the world, it’s likely that many will be married off early, get pregnant or suffer genital mutilation before they have a chance to take charge of their lives. Thirteen million are expected to be married off as children over a decade. (Reuters + VOA + Guardian + Bhekisisa + ReliefWeb + Devex + Global Citizen)
If they’re locked down with the wrong people, they’re likely to suffer violence—sexual or otherwise. (VOA + Pulitzer Center + AllAfrica + Reuters)
If they’re locked down with a partner, they’re likely to get pregnant without wishing to, in part because family planning services are disrupted. This affects millions. (Al Jazeera + Lancet)
If they were pregnant or delivering a baby under lockdown in one of some 45 countries, their treatment may have been traumatic. (Open Democracy)
Some—hundreds—might even go missing. (Al Jazeera + NPR)
They’re more likely to suffer from poor mental health as a result of pandemic burdens. (CARE)
In some places, they’re less likely to be tested for coronavirus—for no good reason. (Reuters + NYT)
These pattens are known, but we don’t collect the right data to understand them better, and policies don’t really take them into account. (Nature + Undark + Guardian)
Most countries where these people live aren’t paying good enough attention to what’s happening to half their population. (Reuters + Guardian + ReliefWeb)
That’s just what we know about.
In a future post I’ll talk about some moves to respond. But there’s no Great Reset in sight here, at least not yet. It’s as if holding half the world back from fully participating in their lives, in society and in the economy is a niche, secondary issue.
A final note from the week’s soundtrack 🌎
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