Gender differences in experiencing coronavirus-triggered economic hardship: Evidence from four developing countries

The effect of labor market inequalities during economic crises is a well-established topic. Yet, little is known about this in the context of developing countries. We use recently collected phone survey data by Young Lives (YL) from four countries—Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State), Peru and Vietnam—to examine whether men and women suffer from coronavirus-triggered economic hardship differently. We find that men are more likely to lose jobs and income in Ethiopia and India—countries with a very high male-dominated formal sector. Conversely, gender effect is not significant in Peru and Vietnam with comparatively higher integration of women in formal employment. We further investigate whether gender effect varies by ‘wealth’ level. Findings suggest that only in India, in the wealthier group, men are more likely to face job and income loss than women, possibly indicating greater male concentration in higher-class occupations. However, the gender gap in facing hardship by wealth group is not significant for other countries.