"The coronavirus pandemic revealed gender inequality that has defined the Israeli job market since before the crisis."
By EVE YOUNGGender pay gap representation, 15 April 2018. (photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
The coronavirus crisis has exposed gender inequality in Israel’s economy that existed before the pandemic, the Employment Service said Sunday in a report to mark International Women’s Day.The study focused on the effect of the pandemic on women in the workforce. Women make up the majority of those registering for unemployment, and they are more dependent on the opening and closing of Israel’s economy, the report said.“The coronavirus pandemic revealed gender inequality that has defined the Israeli job market since before the crisis,” Employment Service CEO Rami Graor said.“The statistics from the study highlight the repercussions of pay gaps between men and women and the differences in fields of work,” he said. “We must strive to close gender gaps in the workforce.”Restaurants, event halls and the airport reopened on Sunday, and now that the economy is opening up, the Employment Service has plans to develop aid for women in the workforce, Graor said.During the pandemic, between 52.5% and 58% of those who registered as unemployed were women, the report said. The numbers indicated the impact of the lockdowns on women, the Employment Service said. During lockdowns, the number of unemployed women rose, while between lockdowns, it was similar to the number of unemployed men, it said.There are two primary causes for women’s higher rates of unemployment during lockdowns and their dependence on the business cycles prompted by the coronavirus lockdowns, according to the Employment Service.The first is that women fill the majority of positions in fields more heavily impacted by lockdowns, such as education and sales.Secondly, as schools closed for lockdowns, many women were forced to stay at home with their children. Families often choose to have the partner with the lower salary stay at home, the report said.In the Arab sector, men constituted a higher percentage of those registering as unemployed, which reflects their higher proportion in the workforce, it said.
