The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mauritius Context by DLD_issuu

POLICY BRIEFING NOTE

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mauritius Context

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

Author Dr Anjalee Dabee, National Gender Expert UNDP Mauritius Contributors UN Women Roberta Clarke, Senior Advisor/ Officer in Charge [East and Southern Africa Regional Office (ESARO), Kenya], UN Women. Dr Isabella Schmidt, Regional Gender Statistics Advisor, ESARO, UN Women Syed Sadiq, Regional Program Manager for Ending Violence Against Women and Girls ESARO, UN Women Valentine Waroga, Programme Assistant-Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Economic Empowerment, ESARO, UN Women Viktoria Smirnova, Programme Management Analyst, ESARO, UN Women Joel Sirma, Program Analyst, ESARO, UN Women Editors Ms Amanda Serumaga, UNDP Resident Representative Renooka Beejan, Head, Socio-Economic Development Unit, UNDP Shakil Beedassy, GCF Project Coordinator Stephane Bellerose, Communication Specialist, UNDP Graphic Design, David Lloyd, Cover Illustration, Tim Grace @ocular_caviar Website: www.mu.undp.org/ Follow us on Twitter: @UNDPMauritius Email us: registry.mu@undp.org

The Mauritius Context

Contents

Contents 01 The Impact of COVID-19 is not Gender Neutral

02 The UNDP Global Offer

03 The Mauritius Context

04 Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius 14 Expected Impact 1: Women will face more Poverty with the Increased Risk of Unemployment

Expected Impact 2: A Changed Landscape of Work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gender Equity, Reorientation and Re-skilling

Expected Impact 3: A Limited Perspective on Diversity has the Potential to Negatively Impact the Majority of the Population

Expected Impact 4: Gender-Neutral Approaches will Exacerbate Inequity

Expected Impact 5: The Implications on Sustainable Consumption and Food Insecurity

Expected Impact 6: Gendered Norms and Stereotypes may be further entrenched or shifted

Expected Impact 7: The Impact on Reporting Gender Based Violence Cases

Expected Impact 8: Leaving Behind Elderly Women and Women with Disabilities

05 Key Policy Options

5.1 Policy Priority 1: Addressing the Socio-economic Impacts of COVID19

5.2 Policy Priority 2: Addressing Changing Structures of Work

5.3 Policy Priority 3: Gender Sensitive Evidence Based Policy Making

5.4 Policy Priority 4: Gender Responsive Economic Recovery for Women

5.5 Policy Priority 5: Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Based Violence

5.6 Policy Priority 6: Addressing Intersectionality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Elderly Women

06 Conclusion

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

The Impact of COVID-19 is not Gender Neutral

he year 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action. With a decade from the 2030 deadline, the year 2020 is a critical threshold to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

However, with the advent of COVID-19, the World Economic Outlook Report 20201 stipulates that the global economy is projected to contract sharply by 3%, with significant impacts as a result of the sanitary lock down and confinement measures implemented to contain COVID-19 worldwide2. The World Health Organization recognizes that the pandemic has multidimensional impacts with a domino effect, not only on human health, but also with differentiated socio-economic impacts at all levels, within different sectors and segments of society. The World Economic Forum3 foresees that 50m people are at risk of unemployment worldwide, including within SMEs, part-time occupations, and the informal sector, with the repercussions felt on the most vulnerable segments of society, including women. Additionally, it is expected that the human cost of the pandemic, psychological stress, fear, loss of productivity, self-isolation, gender-based violence, malnourishment, food insecurity and access to food, are likely to exacerbate disparities amongst different categories of individuals. Women who are involved in the formal sector have been or may be encouraged to leave to focus on care-giving, household needs and their employment which likely, risks being affected through dismissal.4

1 World Economic Outlook Report, April 2020, The Great LockDown: Chapter 1, Available Online at https://www.imf.org/en/ Publications/WEO, Last Accessed 15 April 2020. 2 IMF, 14 April 2020, World Economic Outlook Report- April 2020, The Great LockDown: Chapter 1, Available Online at https:// www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO, Last Accessed 15 April 2020. 3 World Economic Forum, 27 March 2020, “This Is The Human Impact Of COVID-19 – And How Business Can Help”, Available Online At https://www.Weforum.Org/Agenda/2020/03/This-Is-The-Human-Impact-Of-COVID-19-And-How-Business-CanHelp/, Last Accessed 15 April 2020. 4 The consideration of gender in the framework of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in West and Central Africa

The Impact of COVID-19 is not Gender Neutral

While the Gender Social Norms Index5 already highlighted how social beliefs obstruct gender equality in areas like political participation, work, and education, UN Women mentions that the impacts of COVID-19 are likely to exacerbate disparities for women in all sectors, from health to the economy to security and social protection just by virtue of their gendered roles6. At the household level, unpaid care work, primarily shouldered by women has already increased. The impact of COVID19 on women primarily as the frontline health workers – with 70% of whom being women, they bear both burden of care while at the same time exposing themselves to the risk of getting infected. With schools closed, girls out of schools are now prone to Gender-based violence, early/forced marriage, female genital mutilation, unwanted pregnancies, and HIV infections among others. Limited economic opportunities are likely to increase child labor, exploitation of women and girls including sexual exploitation and abuse. At the institutional and policy level, the gendered impacts are likely to be intensified with already overburdened institutions operating at maximum capacity in fragile situations with fewer human and financial resources within the context of psycho-social stress. Women are more likely to be at the receiving end of these negative impacts, as noted by UN Women and the international community. The gains of the Decade for Action may thus be undermined as support to key services may be re-routed with Government realigning their immediate critical services and shifting core financing to boost the economy.

Because…

1 2

Felt Negative impacts of Economic Empowerment of women, with disruption in career progressions & increased gender pay gaps. omen and Girls W disproportionately bear the brunt of care during confinement and after

3 4

Rising Number of Domestic violence worldwide with increase in risk factors and triggers elt Negative Impact F on SMEs where-in women form a high percentage of workers and owners

5 6

Women are more present in the informal sector with fewer safety nets omen are more W represented in the service sectors reeling under restrictive conditions

5 UNDP, 2020 Gender Social Norms Index Available Online at http://hdr.undp.org/en/GSNI, Last Accessed 29 April 2020 6U NWomen, 09 April 2020, Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Women, Available Online at https://www.unwomen.org/en/ digital-library/publications/2020/04/issue-brief-covid-19-andending-violence-against-womenand-girls”, Last Accessed 17 April 2020

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

1.1

The Mauritius Context

Snapshot: Gendered Implications of COVID-19 Gender sensitive analysis at the international level7 suggests the following: ■

There are concerns for job losses in women-dominated spheres, for example in agriculture and in informal sector or running micro SMEs with the closure/ near closure of businesses and complete loss of income. Many businesses, particularly SMEs, are under significant cost pressure and face potential closure and bankruptcy and these are the sectors in which women can be predominantly found in. Informal sector lacks job and income security such as continuous employment during lockdown, paid leaves and social and health insurance, which is also true for female migrant workers who contribute in their countries of origin to better the status of their families. This situation is foreseen to also impact on children’s access to education.

■

As digital spaces are being explored to continue business operations, women tend to dominate in sectors that are difficult to transfer online like hospitality, tourism, care, health, street commerce. And even if they could, there is a significant lack of access to ICT technologies, especially or women-owned businesses in rural areas.

■

The burden of care for women has increased, which can lead to entrenched gendered roles and stereotypes within the household, with women’s traditional care-giving role. The situation for single-parent heads of households and parents of children with disabilities is expected to be especially difficult as childcare services/ schools remain closed which in turn impact on the capability of women single parents and parent of children with disabilities joining the paid workforce.

Gender Neutral Responses will not lead to Resilient Economies and Societies 7 European Institute for Gender Equality, 25 March 2020, Coronavirus puts Women in the Frontline”, Available online at https:// eige.europa.eu/news/coronavirus-puts-women-frontline, Last Accessed 17 April 2020. UNWomen, 2020, In Focus: Gender Equality Matters in COVID-19 Response, Available Online at https://www.unwomen.org/ en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response, Last Accessed 17 April 2020.

The UNDP Global Offer

■

Women in domestic violence situations are likely to be greatly impacted by strict lock-down measures preventing the latter from leaving the confines of their homes and accessing Shelters. Securing a place in Shelters may also be on the condition of being tested negative for COVID-19, which may not always be readily available.

■

Women migrants, immigrants with limited access to livelihoods are likely to be exposed to trafficking, violence, forced labour and forced confinement due to fears of legal action fears or legal action, or unable to send remittances to their families.

■

In cultures where women and elderly people or people with disabilities depend on informal care from relatives for childcare purposes or other forms of care, confinement measures puts the latter in disadvantaged positions.

■

A higher percentage of care givers are women (both in the formal and informal sectors), job losses put them at an economic disadvantage.

UNDP 02 The Global Offer

ignature Solution 6 on Gender Equality remains a guiding principle of UNDP’s Programmatic Areas at the Global and local levels. SDG 5 is further seen as cross-cutting to achieve all the SDGs.

In March 2020, the UNDP Administrator asserted that COVID-19 will not only have an impact on health but also represents a “social, economic and political crisis”. The Administrator reemphasized UNDP’s duty of care to around 7b people. As a general impact, UNDP foresees 4 major gender-related issues in the COVID-19 Crisis8.

8 UNDP, April 2020, Presentation on the “Impact of COVID-19 on Gender Inequalities-UNDP COVID-19 Gender Offer”

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

Violence Increase

Care System Crisis & Social Protection

The Mauritius Context

ng -existi structu Pre der-based barr ral iers gen

dership a Lea sion mak nd ing ci de

Economic Impact

Access to Health

Concurrently, amongst the key focus areas of the UNDP Gender Equality Strategy is strengthening gender-responsive approaches in crisis prevention, preparedness and recovery. In order to manage COVID-19, UNDP has pinpointed three focus areas, namely Preparation; Crisis Response; and Recovery. UNDP has developed three major service lines to support countries within these three stages.

These are: SERVICE LINE 1 Health systems support

Develop special gender-based violence (GBV) prevention and response plans, including strengthen and adapt referral pathways so that expected increased number of GBV survivors/victims can access health, legal, psycho-social, shelter and livelihoods services (e.g. from violence within households and violence suffered by stay-in workers). 1. Provide knowledge and skills to governmental officials to develop gender responsive action plans for national health crisis response to COVID-19 and address the gender impact of the disease outbreak considering how to address structural inequalities. 2. Develop public awareness campaigns on shared domestic responsibilities and prevention of gender-based violence during COVID crisis (including home confinement and recovery phase), including a focus on addressing negative social norms and attitudes through redefining masculinities with behavioural insights.

The UNDP Global Offer

SERVICE LINE 2 Inclusive and integrated crisis management response

Provide policy and technical support to governments on the gender equality dimensions of COVID 19 in non-health ministries. Conduct gender analysis that supports national and local multisectoral planning and financing for COVID-19 crisis management. Provide knowledge and skills to governmental officials and civil society organizations to develop systems (including digital initiatives) and strategies for womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s participation and CSOs in disaster response actions and programs, and in decision-making, especially those most difficult to reach. 1. Develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for multi-sectoral responses and access to quality services through referral pathways for providing access to quality health, legal, psycho-social, shelter and livelihoods services. 2. Design and implement public awareness campaigns to strengthen social cohesion, solidarity and gender-equitable behavior during and postdisaster phases.

SERVICE LINE 3 Addressing the socioeconomic impacts

Assist to integrate gender analysis while conducting macro, meso and micro and socio- economic assessments, and crisis dashboards to support inter-sectoral planning and COVID 19 response. 1. Develop gender-responsive social protection strategies and robust social protection systems in response to COVID-19, with emphasis on 1) adapting social protection to the needs of women and men, 2) universal social protection floors and 3) unpaid care work. 2. Assist to design and implement programs for the economic recovery of women, especially for those furthest left behind, with emphasis on 1) Subsidies, relief and fiscal policies to support small-medium business of women (tax exemptions, co-payments of social protection, etc.); 2) Employment policies to informal workers and domestic workers; 3) Financial inclusion; 4) programs for womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skills development adapted to the Future of Work (e.g. targeting professions that can be done remotely, adapted to current and upcoming market needs. 3. Facilitate multi-stakeholder platforms for womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economic recovery, including private sector, civil society organizations, financial systems, and national and local governments.

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

2.1

The Mauritius Context

UNDP Mauritius Offer The Country Office is committed to supporting the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In line with its Signature Solution 6 on Gender Equality, the Country Office is implementing a programme on “Addressing Challenges to Gender Equality”. Furthermore, the CO is aware of the cross-cutting nature of SDG 5 with all the other Goals. It is especially cognizant of the increasing nature of SDG 17 and partnerships, collective action and collaboration to build resilience and achieve the SDGs. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, as part of UNDP Mauritius initiative entitled “Prevent, Respond and Early Recovery Project (PREP)”, which is also part of the UNDP “Global COVID-19 Integrated Response Plan”; the Country Office is contributing to Government’s effort9 to implement a multi-sectoral and gender sensitive response to the crisis. A Letter of Agreement was signed on 5 April 2020 between the Ministry of Finance, Economic Planning and Development and the United Nations Development Programme, Mauritius (UNDP) to provide financial support to the Government of Mauritius to address the COVID crisis, for a total package worth Rs 28m (USD $800,000.) As part of its financial package, the UNDP is supporting the COVID-19 Solidarity Fund and extending assistance to beneficiaries of the Social Register Mechanism (SRM) that was set up with the assistance of the UNDP. Approximately Rs 11.5M (USD 325,000) has been provided to cater for the supply of necessities to 35,000 vulnerable households; and to shelters for children and women in distress during the outbreak period. The Country Office is now sustaining its support for evidence-based policy making to address the immediate, medium and long-term direct and indirect impacts of COVID-19 in Mauritius10. It remains guided by the UNDP COVID-19 Response (UNDP’s Gender Offer for Gender-Equitable Response and Recovery), which provides the overarching framework for action.

9 A complete list of packages provided by the Government is available online at https://www.edbmauritius.org/covid-19communiques-announcements/, Last Accessed on 26 April 2020 10 See https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/view/63213866/press-release-undp-covid-19-support-to-gom.

The UNDP Global Offer | UNDP Mauritius Offer

This Policy Brief aims to… A. …review independent evidence and analyse the existing status of gender equality in Mauritius; B. …highlight the present gender gaps and identify thematic areas that will impact on gendered relations and the socio-economic status of women, more so as accentuated by COVID-19; and C. …propose policy priority areas to guide Country Level Actions to back-stop Government and its Stakeholders to ensure that the global economy and the people that the Country Office serve emerge stronger from this crisis. The official statistics presented in this paper have been gathered before COVID-19. It is recognised that data from the pre-COVID-19 pandemic will not provide a truly representative situation of the status of women status of women post the pandemic, as data will change. However, in the absence of official statistics on the status of women post-COVID19, an analysis of the expected impact is presented in this Paper.11 UNDP remains committed to contributing to the achievement of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals in Mauritius; and respond to the COVID-19 crisis in a gender sensitive manner by Leaving No One Behind. The general conceptual framework of the document is in line with UNDP’s COVID-19 Offer. It is also informed by the UNDP Rapid Assessment Checklist that provides guidelines on how to include gender equality considerations in all UNDP COVID-19 crisis interventions. In line with the UNDP Global COVID-19 Offer, Key Priority Blocks have been identified for a gender sensitive resilient economy, and a strengthened social-fabric trusting of stakeholders.

11 See footnote 47

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

The UNDP will work with implementing partners to address: ■

ender sensitive Socio Economic G Impact Assessments

■

Gender Mainstreaming in all Sectors

■

ocial Protection - Vulnerable S groups, the Elderly & Migrant Women

■

articipatory Approaches to P Decision making – top down and bottom-up approach

■

Community levels leadership

Gender Mainstreaming in Policies and Social Protection

Leadership and Participation in Decision Making Process

Economic Recovery Programmes

Gender Based Violence

■

Re-skilling Programmes

■

SMEs

■

Study on Fiscal Packages

■

Understanding the Informal Sector

■

BV Prevention & Response – G victims and perpetrators

■

Integrated Shelters & Rehabilitation

■

L everaging Technologies for victim empowerment and perpetrator rehabilitation

The Mauritius Context

auritius has a strong welfare state, ranking 43rd out of 146 countries on the 2018 Social Progress Index12. The UNDP Human Development Index report of 2019 demonstrates that Mauritius is in the high human development category ranking 66 of 189 countries with HDI value of 0.796, but still lagging in terms of women’s political and economic empowerment. The Gender Development Index ranked Mauritius 82 out of 162 countries with a value of 0.369. In terms of gender equality and women’s empowerment, Mauritius improved its ranking between 2017 to 2018 from 112 to 109 out of 149 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index scale13. . Mauritius has performed very well in various indices and was a model to replicate in the African Region14. The Country also features as one of the six of the top reforming economies for laws on gender equality in Sub-Saharan Africa 15. Mauritius has continued to record positive economic growth, with a goal of reaching a High-Income Economy by 2030. Growth is estimated to have reached 3.7% of GDP in 2019. It is a predominantly services-oriented economy with a highly diversified economic base. The main economic sectors are (i) agriculture, forestry and fishing 3.2% (of which sugar accounts for 13.5%) (ii) manufacturing 12.7% (of which the food sector, excluding sugar, accounts for 35.9% and textiles 27.8%) and (iii) the services sector 83.9% (of which wholesale and retail trade accounts for 12.4%, finance and insurance for 11.7%, and real estate 5.9%)16. Employment is distributed across the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Report of April 2020 highlights that Mauritius is not spared from the economic consequences of the COVID-19. The IMF forecasts

12 D eloitte, 2018, Social Progress Index, pg. 30, Available Online at https://www2.deloitte.com/content/dam/Deloitte/ec/ Documents/deloitte-analytics/Estudios/2018-Social-Progress-Index-brief.pdf, Last Accessed 16 April 2020 13 Human Development Report 2019, December 2019, Available online at http://hdr.undp.org/sites/all/themes/hdr_theme/ country-notes/MUS.pdf, Last Accessed 8 April 2020 14 World Bank 2019, Doing Business Report 2019, pg. 4-5, Available Online at https://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/ doingBusiness/media/Annual-Reports/English/DB2019-report_web-version.pdf, Last Accessed 18 April 2020 15 World Bank Group, 2019, Women, Business and the Law, 2019: A Decade of Reform”, pg. 3, Available Online at https:// openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/31327/WBL2019.pdf, Last Accessed 21 April 2020. 16 UNECA, 14 April 2020, Socio Economic Implications of the Coronavirus in Mauritius”, South Africa

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

Others

Wholesale/Retail/ repair of vehicles

Public Admin/ Degence, social sec

Transportation/storage

Textile

Financial and Insurance

Education

Agriculture, forestry, fishing

Accomodation/ food service

Admin and Support

Construction

Human Health and Social Work

Info and Comm Professional/Scientific/Tech

Chart 1: Sectors of the Mauritius Economy

a contraction of the economy to the tune of 6.8% for 2020 if the economy is back on track after confinement as from July 2020; a projected consumer price change of 4.7%; and a drop in inflation to 8.5%, which will inevitably plunge the country into a recession17. At the same time, the Bank of Mauritius projects a negative growth between 7-11% in 2020 with an economic recovery in 2024; a decrease in investment by 11-18% and a rise in inflation rate. The present unemployment rate is set to increase from 6.7% to 17.5%18. With an estimated contraction of 13% of the GDP in 2020 by Statistics Mauritius, the risk factors and triggers of domestic violence are likely to be exacerbated.

17 I nternational Monetary Fund (IMF), April 2020, Mauritius at a Glance, Available Online at https://www.imf.org/en/Countries/ MUS, Last Accessed 15 April 2020 18 G overnment of Mauritius, Government Information Service, 17 April 2020, Available Online at http://www.govmu.org/ English/News/Pages/COVID-19-Government-extends-financial-assistance-schemes-.aspx, Last Accessed 18 April 2020

The Mauritius Context

Mauritius will be further impacted as the Country’s key trading partners are hit and with a marked turn-down in the commodities market. According to the Mauritius Commercial Bank, the Demand Shock in additional to the Supply and Financial Market shocks will impact different key financial sectors such as (Internally): Tourism; Hospitality and the Service and Retails sectors; Aviation; Construction and Real Estate; Textile; BPO and export-oriented industries; Shipping; Logistics and Land Transport; Financial sector; Wholesale and Retail and Domestic Oriented Activities; and (Externally): Foreign Earnings; Imports; Capital and Financial Flows19. Regarding security of employment in the private sector, USD100,000 has been ear-marked towards an extension of the Wage Assistance Scheme (WAS) for April 2020, with an additional sum of USD12.5m to cover the extended lock-down period 16 April to 30 April 2020. At the end of March 2020, 243 000 employees received WAS. It is expected that an additional Rs.4b be disbursed till the end of April 2020. Regarding the informal sector, USD20m has been allocated to the Self-Employed Assistance Scheme (SEAS), targeting some 163 000 beneficiaries. 37,715 food packs have also been distributed to registered beneficiaries under the Social Register Mechanism (SRM) for 7,900 households and 19,779 beneficiaries of the Carer’s Allowance20. The sex disaggregation of beneficiaries under the SEAS, WAS and SRM is not yet published. As of 2 July 2020, Mauritius had recorded 335 postive cases of COVID-19. The figure shows high prevalence infections among men (61%) and 39% for women. The death rate for confirmed cases is 4.7% for males and 2.8 % for females21. A sensitisation campaign on “Harmonious Families” was initiated during the Confinement period by the Ministry of Gender Equality, whilst a TV campaign on “Denouncing Domestic Violence” was conducted by an NGO Collective22.

19 Mauritius Commercial Bank, 15 April 2020, COVID-19: Economic Implications for Mauritius, Port Louis 20 The Social Register of Mauritius is a computer-based application to register and identify the poor and their socio-economic profile to inform policymakers on the effective demand for pro-poor policies. It uses a Proxy Means Test (PMT) to determine eligibility below a given threshold. Its main aim is to improve the targeting efficiency of social programs so that limited program resources primarily reach those who deserve them most. UNDP Mauritius, Information Note, 17 April 2020 Statistics Mauritius, June 2020, Covid-19 Social Support, Available Online at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/ Documents/Covid19/Covid_doc_Social_support.pdf, Last Accessed 3 July 2020. 21 G overnment of Mauritius, 15 April 2020, Available Online at https://www2.govmu.org/EN/Communique1/020620%20 BRIEF%20POUR%20LES%20MEDIAS%20MARDI%20%2002%20JUIN%202020.pdf, Last Accessed 03 July 2020, Last Accessed 16 April 2020 22 There has not been other sensitisation campaigns on GBV and looking at the intersection of gender and other intersectionalities such as gender and disabilities/ ageing etc

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius EXPECTED IMPACT 1:

The 2012 Poverty Analysis Report stipulates that poverty is more prevalent in some segments of Mauritian society, with a similar reflection in the 2019 Mauritius Voluntary National Review Report on the Sustainable Development Goals which found that ~ 10% of Mauritius citizens live in poverty, with a past estimation in 2017

Women will face more Poverty with the Increased Risk of Unemployment

Managers

Clerical Support Service and Sales Skilled Female

Elementary

Figure 1: Average Monthly Income of Employees by Occupational group

Male

45,000

40,000

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 1

of a higher percentage of women living in poverty (11%) as compared to 9.6% for males.

25,000

20,000

15,000

Primary

10,000

5,000

Female Male

Secondary

Tertiary

Figure 2: Employed Population by Industry

Employment in Mauritius is distributed in different economic sectors. An analysis of the sex-disaggregation in some employment sectors in Mauritius reveals that a higher percentage of women are employed in the tertiary sector.23 Employment breakdown in different sectors show that the unemployment rate is at 6.9% (10.1% among women and 4.7% among men). As of 2018, there was a predominance of women unemployed at almost all age-group with a mean age of 29 years. Unemployed women were generally more qualified than their male counterparts; around 60% of them possessed at least a School Certificate against 48% among males. During the period 2008 to 2018, male activity rate was consistently higher than female activity rate. However, the gap has been narrowing over time with activity rate for men decreasing and that of women generally increasing from 2010 to 2018, suggesting that Mauritius is becoming a dual-earner household. Female employment increased annually by 2% whereas male employment increased by 0.4% from 2008 to 2018. In terms of status of employment, it is seen that the female workforce comprised a higher percentage of employees (86.1% against 76.6% among females) and contributing family workers (3.7% against 0.8%) but a lower proportion of selfemployed (10.2% against 22.6% among males).

23 ibid Statistics Mauritius, July 2019, Gender Statistics 2018, Available Online at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/ Publications/Pages/Gender_Stats_Yr18.aspx, Last Accessed 18 April 2020

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

Employer

30000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

The Mauritius Context

Female Male

Own Account Worker

Employee Contributing family worker

Figure 3: Employed Population by Employment Status 45

Primary

Secondary

Tertiary

Female

Male

Figure 4: Mean Hours of Work by Sector

Mauritius is becoming a dual earner household; however, male counterparts remain heads of the household with women in all sectors still earning less than men. Time Use survey in Mauritius24 reveal that a male employee worked on average 5.3 hours more than a female counterpart (40.7 hours against 35.4 hours per week), while salary surveys stipulate that the average monthly income for was USD700 for males and USD532 for females.

24 S tatistics Mauritius, Labour force, Employment and Unemployment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Year 2018, Available Online at http://statsmauritius. govmu.org/English/Publications/Pages/LF_Emp_Unemp_Yr18.aspx, Last Accessed 26 April 2020.

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 1

Statistics also show that female employment usually varies over the lifecycle. By extension, looking at the period age-range for women to get married, it may be stipulated that the cyclical volatility of labor supply is much lower for married women (with marriage insurance) compared to single women. With the forecast of 17.5% unemployment, it is foreseen that women will be hit disproportionately in several sectors, and mostly for those in the age range of 25-29 where there is an increase in the level of economic activity among women being higher in that age group.

Manufacturing

Construction

Wholesale Retail

Accomodation and food Transportation andâ&#x20AC;Ś Public Admin & Defence Education & Humanâ&#x20AC;Ś

Female Male

Figure 5: Employed Population by Industries

It is noted that women are more active in the tertiary sector (including trade, accommodation service, transportation, health, education and other service industries) with 80.2%; 15.6% were active in the secondary sector (manufacturing, electricity & water and construction); and 4.2% were active in the primary sector (agriculture, mining and quarrying). Across the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors, women earned around 30-35% less than their male counterparts (which may also be linked to lesser working hours in light if their caring roles at household level). Similarly,in all occupational groups, women on average earned less than men.

60,000

50,000

40,000

30,000

20,000

10,000

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

Primary

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

The Mauritius Context

Female Male

Secondary

Tertiary

Figure 6: Average Monthly Income of Employees by Industrial Sector

In the occupational category of managers, professionals and associate professionals, women earned on average 76.2% of what men earned. In elementary occupations, women earned 55.1% of what men earned. In terms of exacerbating poverty, it is researched already that there is a 30% gender pay gap per hour worked, in the private sector in Mauritius, according to the World Bank. It is also noted that the high achievements of girls and young women in

Managers

Clerical Support Service and Sales Skilled Female

Elementary

Figure 7: Average Monthly Income of Employees by Occupational group

Male

45,000

40,000

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 1

schools are not carrying over to employment opportunities with 29.1% unemployed women with tertiary level education as compared to 22.2% unemployed men25. It is foreseen that the impact of COVID-19 in the tertiary26 sector which employs a high portion of women in trades, the care economy, hospitality, tourism, and the service industry will operate at minimal capacity, in addition to other female dominated sectors which have/will slow down given the current local and international economic conjuncture, resulting in a negative impact on women’s economic status. The post consequences on unemployment will be further affected by (i) the type of confinement regulations, whereby some industries will be able to operate (front line female nurses, supermarkets) with a large negative effect on other sectors with strict orders; (ii) and the capacity of any given sector for telecommuting. In this context, it is noted that several bigger firms in the private sector have adopted and been equipped for e-work facilities. However, there is presently no sex disaggregated data on the gendered composition of “tele-commutable” jobs. It may be concluded that with substantial gender gaps in economic participation, Mauritius is already losing out on potential growth. COVID-19 has complicated the economic situation of women. They are already under-represented in paid employment. They are under-represented on the decision-making table. They are over-represented in traditionally female dominated areas and those linked to traditional gendered roles. With reduced working activities in the sectors where women are predominantly present, and where they were earning less than their male counterparts, despite their higher levels of education, women will bear the brunt of COVID-19 on the economy in a very disproportionate manner as compared to men. Using up bank savings would be the first systematic action to sustain economically, however, in the long run, women will need to re-enter the labour force either re-skilled to adapt to emerging sectors; or equipped with skills that will empower them to be more self-assertive and with increased bargaining/negotiation skills.

25 World Bank, 2019, “Addressing Gender Inequalities in the Labour Market, Available Online at https://openknowledge. worldbank.org/handle/10986/29034?show=full, Last Accessed 18 April 2020 26 S tatistics Mauritius defines sectors as follows: 70% of all workers were employed in the tertiary sector (covering trade, accommodation and food service activities, transportation and storage and all the other service industries), 24% in the secondary sector (covering manufacturing, electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply and water supply, sewerage waste management and remediation activities and construction) and 6% in the primary sector (covering agriculture, forestry and fishing and mining & quarrying); See Statistics Mauritius, Labour force, Employment and Unemployment – Year 2018, Available Online at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/Publications/Pages/LF_Emp_Unemp_Yr18.aspx, Last Accessed 26 April 2020.

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

Women may also be given tools to enhance their capacities to be own account workers. Existing evidence shows that the only employment category in which women are over represented is as contributing family workers, where they often contribute to businesses run by their husbands. Hence, women have the potential to be present in businesses, but need to be given the opportunity whilst instituting gender sensitive policies such as increased childcare facilities, flexi-hours, or in-work tax benefits.

45,000

40,000

Clerical Support Workers

35,000

30,000

25,000

20,000

15,000

10,000

5,000

Female Male

Service and Sales workers Agricultural, Craft & related trades workers, Plant & machine operators & assemblers Elementary Ocupations

Figure 8: Employment by occupational group, 3rd Quarter 2019 (‘000)

Similarly, in terms of women’s participation in the informal sector, amongst the few research studies conducted, in 2014 it was highlighted that the informal sector remains a necessity “survival mode”, or self-employment outlet for a number of retrenched/unemployed women who use income generated there-from to improve their standard of living through informal entrepreneurial activities27. The informal sector therefore remains an important social net mechanism, especially given the lower participation of women in the paid labour force. Concurrently, a study examining the effects of the financial crisis on women in the informal sector revealed that global financial crisis impacted on women essentially in two ways, in terms of decrease in revenue due to a fall in demand, and increase in cost factors associated

27 Kasseeah H., Tandrayen-Ragoobur, 2014 (November), “Women in the Informal Sector in Mauritius: A Survival Mode” in Equality, Diversity and Inclusion: An International Journal, Vol. 33, N0. 8, pg. 75-763

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 1

due to increase in cost of production28. It is expected that the lock-down situation during the COVID-19 pandemic would exacerbate existing disparities in the informal sector, particularly women informal workers, who already sit close to the bottom of the economic pyramid in Mauritius29.

Expected Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Women will face more Poverty with the Increased Risk of

■

Re-skilling to adapt to emerging sectors

■

Equipped with leadership and self-assertiveness skills

Unemployment

■

Capacity building to be own-account workers

■

Instituting gender sensitive policies in the workplace

■

Having the evidence-base on women’s participation in the informal sector

28 K asseeah H et al., 2014 (January), “Financial Crisis and Informal Sector Women Entrepreneurs in Mauritius” in International Journal of Economics and Business Research, Vol. 8, No. 2 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276900097_Financial_crisis_and_informal_sector_women_entrepreneurs_in_ Mauritius 29 World Bank, 2019, “Addressing Gender Inequalities in the Labour Market, Available Online at https://openknowledge. worldbank.org/handle/10986/29034?show=full, Last Accessed 18 April 2020 See Statistics Mauritius, Labour force, Employment and Unemployment – Year 2018, Available Online at http://statsmauritius. govmu.org/English/Publications/Pages/LF_Emp_Unemp_Yr18.aspx, Last Accessed 26 April 2020. There is presently a gap in the availability of data on women with disabilities in the formal and informal sectors. Around 4.75% of the population live with a disability, out of which women account for 51.6% of this segment of the population. Statistics Mauritius, 2011, Housing and Population Census, Available Online at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/ CensusandSurveys/Pages/Housing-and-Population.aspx, Last Accessed 20 May 2020

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

EXPECTED IMPACT 2:

A Changed Landscape of Work â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gender Equity, Reorientation and Re-skilling

The Mauritius Context

ICTs are the leading factor in boosting innovation and creativity in value chains across industry and service sectors30. It is expected that the ICT and science industry will gain increased momentum as an enhanced pillar for the socio-economic development landscape of the country bringing forward package of technology solutions to assist companies in moving forward post COVID-19 and responding to learned challenges faced during the pandemic.

The ICT sector should be an area of untapped opportunities for a new generation of women. Now more than ever, it has become very important to attract and train more women to the ICT and engineering sector. Concurrently, enhancing he capacity of elderly women to access the internet and online media is equally important in a bid to make the latter feel mainstreamed into society. Therefore, existing programs therefore have to be strengthen and expanded to include all cohorts of women. New sectors of ICT, Artificial Intelligence and application of ICT will be fast-tracked to achieve greater efficiency in the process of production of goods and services. However, for women to enter these sectors with a competitive edge, there needs to be a paradigm shift from studying traditional female dominated subjects to science and technology. At present, women are under-represented in science related fields such as Engineering (2.0% against 10.3% of men) and Information Technology (5.4% against 15.0% of men). The persistent under-representation of women in ICT and ICT-related fields calls for renewed efforts to engage female students early and effectively there-in. An added value is that as the ICT sector is constantly changing, requiring new set of skills and sophistication which lead to competitive pay. Therefore, applied human talent with the right skill sets will continue to be the key for the building of a vibrant and diversified ICT sector. Having more women in the ICT sector should also be smart economics for businesses given that technology consumers, women are important market influencers. Statistics in Mauritius show that girls perform better than men in the educational sector (with 81.7% at the Higher School Certificate Level). Policies should be put

30 I TU, 2012, A Bright Future in ICT Opportunities For A New Generation of Women, Available Online at https://www.itu.int/en/ ITU-D/Digital-Inclusion/Women-and-Girls/Girls-in-ICT-Portal/Documents/itu_bright_future_for_women_in_ict-english.pdf, Last Accessed 18 April 2020

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 2

in place to encourage women to continue to reskill themselves or take personal development courses with the right gender sensitive conducive environment to evolve in. Furthermore, the specificity of Mauritius being an island state provides the potential of capitalizing on the blue economy if women are invited to tap into new sectors of the blue economy for their economic empowerment. New modes of working should be a new normal and as a way of doing smart business. With a re-tuning by companies shifting towards work-from-home, flexi-time and telecommuting, the impact of telecommuting for women will be especially positive, with benefits in terms of an increased level of flexibility to juggle their care roles and paid work. Concurrently, it may also be promoted as a new strategy of pushing forward the gender equality and equity agenda enabling men to also be more active in the household.

Expected Impact

Mitigation Strategies

A Changing landscape of work- emerging sectors

■

Attracting and training more women to the ICT sectors including emerging areas such as Artificial Intelligence

■

Creating Incubators for innovative thinking in science and technology for girls

■

Conducting Career Guidance for Women to enter the STEM stream.

■

Instituting policies for gender equity such as telecommuting, work-from-home and flexi-time

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

EXPECTED IMPACT 3:

A limited perspective on diversity has the potential to negatively impact the majority of the population

The Mauritius Context

The 2020Â Global Health 50/50 report31, in its evaluation of gender parity in global health organisations, concludes that decisionmaking bodies are still male dominated. It stipulates that with the current noted trend, gender parity at the CEO level in the health sector remains forty years in the making.

In Mauritius, women are more than 50% of the population, yet continue to be under represented in decision-making positions in Cabinet of Ministers and Parliament, with only 20% of female Parliamentarians and no female mayor in the five municipalities. In the Private Sector, the Parliamentary Gender Caucus has highlighted that there is less than 8% of women at the decisionmaking/Board levels32. Whilst there has been an increase in the proportion of women holding senior positions in government services from 19.2% in 1997 to 40.0% in 2016, there has been a decrease to 37.0% in 2017 among women in the most senior positions. COVID-19 is a gendered disease and requires a gender-sensitive response and in preparedness efforts. The importance of diversity in perspectives matters to ensure that responses take into consideration the gendered dynamics that result in women facing the brunt of the disease in a more disproportionate manner. Gender Experts should be consulted to do-away with actions which are ignoring, reinforcing or challenging gender norms. In order to ensure gender mainstreaming for equity, there is a need to analyse the multiple dimensions of gender and COVID-19Â to better understand the gendered impacts of the threat and embed gender concerns into every aspect of the response. A gender mainstreaming checklist should be used by relevant stakeholders to ensure that gender is mainstreamed in all aspects of COVID-19 interventions, and socioeconomic impact assessments. At the community levels, the voices of women should be heard to identify womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs in remedial measures of deep socio-economic consequences and to speak to priorities to influence the policy agenda to address systemic challenges. At the same time, Mauritius is experiencing a feminisation of the ageing population. It is noted that there has been an increase of around 11% in the age bracket of 60

31 G lobal Health 50/50, 2020, Available Online at https://globalhealth5050.org/2020report/, Last Accessed 21 April 2020 32 P arliamentary Gender Caucus, 2019, Participatory Gender Audit in the Private Sector, Available Online at http://mauritiusassembly.govmu.org/English/Pages/default.aspx, Last Accessed 18 April 2020

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 3 & 4

years and above from 1972 to 2019, as explained by an increased longevity and lower fertility rates. The low level of fertility rate has led to a smaller portion of young people as a percentage of the total population. In 2018, women and men were expected to live to the age of 78 and 71 respectively. This age range was estimated to be 61 for men and 66 for women in the seventies. In addition to the increased longevity, there is also a progressive ageing within the elderly population itself. Taking into consideration the specific interests of the female elderly population would ensure that they are not left behind in decisions that impact on their lives. With women’s needs and interests not being homogenous in nature, an intersectional approach to addressing women’s practical and strategic needs should be at the center of analysis at the decision-making table.

Expected Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Lack of diversity in perspectives and policies that are not gender sensitive in the absence of a limited number of women at the decision-making table

■

Inclusion of voices of women at the community levels to ensure that their practical and strategic needs are accounted for in decision making,

■

Taking into account women’s intersectionalities in policy formulation and implementation, including interests of the elderly population

■

Gender mainstreaming in COVID-19 response and preparedness plans

EXPECTED IMPACT 4:

Gender-Neutral Approaches will Exacerbate Inequity

UN Women reports that only 30.7% of indicators needed to monitor the SDGs from a gender perspective are available in Mauritius33. Moreover, at present, it is noted that there is limited sex-disaggregated data in different initiatives being undertaken to address COVID-19, for example, the number of beneficiaries of the SRM disaggregated by sex, age, location would be essential in decision-

33 UNWomen 2020, Country Data: Mauritius, Available Online at https://data.unwomen.org/country/mauritius, Last Accessed 18 April 2020.

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

making. Data on gender-based violence is also limited and official statistics on reported cases of domestic violence are stored separately at different levels. It is critical to be guided by sex-disaggregated data to formulate policies/ programme/ projects to ensure, for example, that any gender gaps are being redressed; and that any initiative undertaken is guided by an evidencebased analysis. Formulation of gender sensitive performance indicators remains equally important to inter alia, monitor successes of policies/programmes; ensure that targeted actions are reaching intended beneficiaries; and stock taking to inform new agenda setting. The collection of gender disaggregated, in addition to sex disaggregated data remains crucial in order to examine more in-depth the gendered impacts of COVID-19. Gender specific issues/topics/questions should be considered for inclusion into relevant impact assessment Studies for an analysis of specific gender issues for subgroups based on gendered identities. Post lockdown, an open data system populated from Official sources that thave continued to collect data during confinement, as well as informed from a civil society organisation (for example Shelters, NGOs) perspective would provide a broader perspective on how COVID-19 has impacted on women across different domains. Data collection should be seen as an iterative process. Women’s narratives and lived experiences, gathered through interviews, would also be a value added to quantitative data.

Expected Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Inequity will be exacerbated with gender neutral approaches

■

Ensuring that socio-economic impact assessments are gender sensitive to ensure evidence-based policy making

■

Collecting both sex-disaggregated and gender disaggregated data from different sources, including NGOs and Shelters for a holistic perspective

■

Formulating gender sensitive gender sensitive indicators for M&E purposes.

■

Collecting qualititative qualitative data such as women’s lived experiences to complement quantitative data

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 5

EXPECTED IMPACT 5:

The Implications on Sustainable Consumption and Food Insecurity

Mauritius is a Net-Food Importing Developing Country (NFIDC) where it imports around 77% of its food requirements. A total area of 7,334 hectares under food crops was harvested in 2019, representing a decrease of 4.1% over the figure of 7,646 hectares in 201834. As borders have closed and international trades are limited, questions remain over the supply chain, due to quarantine regulations and partial port closures, which are causing slowdowns and logistical hurdles in the shipping industry.

Analysis of available data under SDG 2 Indicators reveals that in Mauritius, the prevalence of under-nourishment, as measured by the proxy indicator on “Proportion of population with food consumption below the minimum dietary energy requirement” has seen a slight increase from 4.8% in 2010 to 5.4% in 2012 and 5.8% in 2016. The “Prevalence of Under-Nourishment” was 5.2% during the period 2004-2006; with an increase to 6.5% during the period 2016-2018. Concurrently, Indicator 2.1.2 (SDG 2) on “Prevalence of moderate severe food insecurity in the population, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)” has also increased from 5.2% in 2014 to 6.5% in 2018. The “Prevalence of Moderate or Severe Food Insecurity in the Total Population” increased from 13.0% in 2014-2016 to 18.5% from 2016-2018. The “Prevalence of Obesity in the Adult Population” increased from 5.1% in 2012 to 6.0% in 2016. The “Prevalence of Anaemia Amongst Women of Reproductive Age” increased from 49% in 2012 to 51% in 2016. In 2017, the percentage of babies aged 6 to 12 months who are underweight was revealed to be 5.8%35. The Consumer Price Index (CPI), which stood at 102.4 in December 2018, registered a net increase of 0.9 point (or 0.9%) to reach 103.3 in December 2019. Amongst the main reasons for the net increase in CPI during the year 2019 were higher prices

34 S tatistics Mauritius, 2019, Agriculture and Fish Production, 2019, Available Online at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/ English/StatsbySubj/Pages/Agriculture.aspx, Last Accessed 15 April 2020. 35 WHO, 2019, State of Food Security and Nutrition, Available Online at https://www.who.int/nutrition/publications/ foodsecurity/state-food-security-nutrition-2019-en.pdf?ua=1, Last Accessed 18 April 2020, pg. 123 See Also UNWomen 2020, Country Data: Mauritius, Available Online at https://data.unwomen.org/country/mauritius, Last Accessed 18 April 2020. Statistics Mauritius, 2020, COVID Consumer Price Index, Available Online at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/ Documents/Covid19/Covid_doc_CPI.pdf, Last Accessed 3 July 2020

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

for vegetables, fruits, milk, meat, and some other food products. Additionally, during lockdown period (March-April 2020), there was a noted increase in basic food products prices based on Statistics Mauritiuis CPI. With the forecasted CPI change as forecasted by the IMF, a negative impact on the most vulnerable population segment will affect SDG 2 in a gendered manner, as women in poorer households will be at a disadvantaged position to purchase these goods. With a higher unemployment rate amongst women, and female youths, in addition to a 30% gender pay gap in the private sector, women have lesser financial security. Furthermore, it is estimated that food insecurity rates for households with children headed by single-mothers, and for women living alone will be increased. Female-headed households, particularly those led by women residing in pockets of poverty, will more likely to be food-insecure and to live under the poverty line with a decreased capacity to purchase nutritious food. As unemployment will hit women the hardest, women will earn enough to supplement the nutritional needs of their families, especially in instances where they are the heads of the households and in extended families. In terms of the gendered impact of COVID-19, and its link to SDG 2, UN Women reports that women and girls face differentiated impacts from crises, but they are also already on the forefronts of the preparedness and response efforts and offer capacities, strengths and leadership that are crucial to effective response. The potential contribution of women to food security and sustainable production should not be under-estimated. According to the 2014 Agriculture Census, there were 77% of Male Farmers in Mauritius, and in every age group there were more male farmers than female farmers36. Concurrently, it was reported that most of the farmers were aged between 50 and 59 years representing 28.3% of the farming community- hence reflecting the ageing farming community in the agricultural sector. Targeted policies and programmes should be evidence-based and take into account, inter alia, a rejuvenation of the farming structure, including women in farming training programmes; set up schemes to encourage younger and more women into farming; ensuring womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s equitable access to information, upscaling of emerging technologies and other productive assets to produce disease-resistant crops and achieve significantly higher agricultural productivity.

36 A farmer is someone who breeds livestock or poultry and/or grows crops (including fruits and flowers). Statistics Mauritius, 2014, Census of Agriculture, Available Online at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/CensusandSurveys/Documents/ CA2014/CA2014-Crop_Analysis_Report.pdf, Last Accessed 15 April 2020

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius

As part of SDG 2, nourishment is not just about the quantity of food, but also about quality and nutritional value. UN Women reports that women prepare up to 90 per cent of meals in households worldwide37. It is also known that in many cultures, women are usually the first to sacrifice meals for their families, and children. Women often go to great lengths to protect the well-being of their children, even at the expense of their own nutrition. Subsequently, undernourished mothers become highly susceptible to illness and disease, which can render them unable to go to work or take care of their children. Furthermore, mothers who are malnourished are more likely to experience increased health risks during pregnancy, lactating period, including gestational diabetes, iron deficiencies, and low birth weights for their babies. Gender Based Violence which has seen an increase during the lock-down period, is likely to further impact on women’s abilities to buy and prepare decent meals for the families. In Mauritius, it is noted that GBV impacts on women’s productivity in paid employment,38 and hence, by extension, it may be argued that women may spend lesser time in the paid employment sector, including in the informal sector, with a decrease in revenue which in turn impacts on their economic and psychological ability to contribute to preparing nutritious food for the family.

Expected Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Set-backs to achieving SDG 2 and Food Insecurity for vulnerable groups of women

■

Rejuvenating the farming structure

■

Capacity building of women to undertake farming activities and small scale production

■

Equipping women with tools to access and use new technologies for farming and agricultural productivity

■

Having tailored programmes for pregnant women on health and nutrition at the community level

37 U NWomen, April 2020, Women and Sustainable Development Goals- SDG2, Available Online at https:// sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/2322UN%20Women%20Analysis%20on%20Women%20and%20SDGs. pdf, Last Accessed 15 April 2020. 38 L oss productivity at work because of IPV is estimated at Rs546m for the 12-months period. The cost to the economy due to absenteeism (paid leave) because of IPV stands at Rs242m while the cost to the economy due to unpaid leaves stands at Rs215m. UNDP, 2017, “Economic Cost of Intimate Partner Violence in Mauritius”, Mauritius, pg. 3

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

EXPECTED IMPACT 6:

Gendered Norms and Stereotypes may be further entrenched or shifted

The Mauritius Context

The changes imposed on households and intrahousehold relations by COVID-19 are vast. They raise policy implications for the changing nature of the family and gendered dynamics, as well as for employers.

The pandemic bears the potential of reducing gender inequality and inequities in the labour market in the longer-term when gender inequality is related to unequal division of labour within the household. Even though there has been an increase in the employment rate of women, women continue to perform more household and childcare jobs and caring for the family. In Mauritius, on average, a woman worked in the paid sector some 5 hours less than a man and carried out 3 to 4 times more household activities than men. It may be argued that with the measures that have had to be fast-tracked with the pandemic, namely, telecommuting/working from home and flexi-hours, there is likely to be slowly be a change in womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more equitable access to the paid labour market and managing their caring responsibilities. Similarly, with increased flexi-hours, it is expected that more men will be able to undertake caring roles within the family with a slow shift towards gender equitable distribution of roles in the household level. In this respect, gendered social and cultural norms, roles and expectations are likely to shift in the longer term. In cases where mothers are in the front line, there may be a shift in the relative distribution of childcare hours towards men as they are called upon to temporary take on the main care provider role. This may also be in case where men have a higher ability to telecommute with the nature of the job or when fathers work long hours and with the pandemic can stay home and bond more with the family. The importance of school closures will also have an impact on the division of childcare within the household. In the absence of, or limited opportunity for flexible work arrangements, it may be foreseen that one spouse will be left in a position in a position of being temporarily being out of the paid labour force. In these circumstances, the female spouse is more likely to take that decision based on the existing division of labour in Mauritius at present unless there is an increase bargaining power within that specific household. It is therefore likely that women, particularly single mothers, be more impacted by the rise in childcare needs following school and childcare closures during the pandemic. Resultantly, women are likely to pick up an increased unpaid workload within the household with caring role requirements. In cases where women are able to telecommute, the risk remains that the gendered caring role is likely to impact on their ability to get a higher level of work done

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 6 & 7

as compared to male counterparts in the telecommuting job. The inability to carry out a bigger workload may impact on women’s career progression and influence their decision to come out from the unpaid work sector into the paid economy, resulting in more pronounced gender pay gaps.

Expected Impact

Mitigation Strategies

A shift in gender power dynamics at the household level: gender inequalities will be more

■

Instituting gender sensitive policies, such as childcare schemes, telecommuting, flexi-hours, for women’s equitable participation in the workplace

■

Sustaining sensitisation campaigns at all levels of society on gender equality

■

Targeting men and young boys as champions of gender equality

entrenched or notice a shift towards more gender equal dynamics

EXPECTED IMPACT 7:

The Impact on Reporting Gender Based Violence Cases

There is limited up-to-date data on the prevalence of Gender Based Violence in Mauritius39. As of 2014, it is reported that 24% of women had experienced some form of gender-based violence in their lifetime including partner and non-partner violence40. In 2019, 88% of reported cases of GBV (sexual offences, rape, attempt upon chastity, sodomy, sexual harassment and child trafficking) were perpetrated against women41. Mauritius presently has no other qualitative gender-based violence indicators and focuses on figures related to domestic violence.

At present there are two distinct referral pathways for reporting of domestic violence cases, namely through the Police and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare. At the level of the community, reporting is channeled through the Ministry

39 Data on Domestic Violence is more readily available 40 Gender Links, 2012, War at Home, Available Online at https://genderlinks.org.za/programme-web-menu/publications/ warhome-mauritius-country-report-2012-11-16/, Last Accessed 18 April 2020. 41 Meyer J, February 2020, High Level Committee on GBV Presentation, UNDP Mauritius Report

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

of Gender Equality and Family Welfare and its 6 Family Support Bureaux across the island and a hotline on Domestic Violence has been set up. Reporting may also be done through the Citizen Support Unit at the level of the Citizens Advice Bureaus. At the level of the Police, reporting is done in all Police Stations and Police Family Protection Unit. A Domestic Violence Information System is also operational wherein cases are recorded on an online system by the Ministry of Gender Equality. As at January 2019, the total number of cases of domestic violence stood at 6,329. During the COVID-19 lock-down period, it is noted that there were 2 main reporting pathways namely at the Ministry of Gender Equality (Hotlines) and at the Police Family Protection Unit. At the level of the Police42, the number of reported cases of domestic violence saw a decrease of 14% from February to mid March 2020 which may be linked to the confinement measures indicating that women with violent partners may have been isolated from the people and resources that can help them. The number of Interim Protection Orders decreased by around 4% for the month of March 2020 as the lockdown started, as compared to the full month of February 2020. The number of Protection Orders issued decreased by 18%. The nature of offences of domestic violence that remained higher in March 2020 as compared to January and February 2020 remained Breaches of the Protection from Domestic Violence Act including simple assault, assault, threat, insult and ill-treatment. The Police reported some 1,100 calls for counselling and support, while the hotline of the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare registered violence. During the progression of the pandemic, Statistics Mauritius revealed that the cases of domestic violence, as reported by female survivors, had escalated from the period 20 March to 30 May 2020 as compared to the same time in 2018 and 2019, with 481 reported cases relating to physical assault, verbal abuse and other types of gender based violenceâ&#x20AC;?. 111 female survivors left the conjugal roof during lockdown. COVID-19 thus resulted in an escalation of Domestic Violence, as the risk factors and triggers got exacerbated. As the same time, the number of thefts and burglaries increased. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Social distancingâ&#x20AC;? is one of the recommended strategies to contain the virus. Economic and social stress coupled with restricted movement and social isolation measures will likely increase the risk of Gender Based Violence (GBV), as it may be used as a mechanism to isolate the victim from her family, friends, social networks and service providers, as a part of emotional/psychological violence and controlling behavior. Concurrently, restricted movement during strict lockdown may also prevent women from physically reporting cases of domestic violence, or report violence via hotlines or report violence via hotlines. Access to Shelters may also

42 P olice Family Protection Unit, April 2020, Return of Domestic Violence Cases Reported at PFPU from January to March 2020. Statistics Mauritius, May 2020, Covid-19 Crime, Available Online at Junehttp://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/Documents/ Covid19/Covid_doc_Crime.pdf, Last Accessed 3 July 2020

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 7

have proved difficult as they are not properly equipped with quarantine facilities, or defined as Essential Services. A quick link may be made to the way in which confinement measures with a perpetrator increases the risk of domestic violence incidence, as well as the nature and complexity of the violence. Additionally, social services responses have been compromised in providing meaningful and relevant support to victims of domestic violence in the light of social distancing, restricted moment whilst perpetrators are not held accountable for their acts. This leads to a reflection on rethink the way in which reporting of cases may be carried out through other pathways such as leveraging technologies to document and report cases of gender-based violence. The above analysis also highlights the need for strengthening and ensuring access of GBV victims/survivors to 24x7 information on COVID-19 prevention and GBV Response through making available “Voice, SMS, Chat and Counselling Services” for effective reporting, prevention and referrals. Establish and strengthen “multi-sectoral responses” for providing quality information and access to the services by various stakeholders, including

Expected Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Decision Making that is underpinned by limited evidence on the status of GBV in Mauritius

■

Carrying out a baseline study on the extent and prevalence of GBV in Mauritius

■

Strengthening the existing strategic direction to enhance a multistakeholder response to domestic violence and perpetrator rehabilitation

Reporting of GBV Cases will be hindered with strict lockdown measures

■

Leveraging technologies such as the setting up of a mobile application for reporting of GBV cases

■

Conceptualising a model shelter with a multi-functional area that may also act as a quarantine area in times of pandemics and an integrated center with a one-stop-shop concept (such as having an economic empowerment programme for victims, counselling, legal aid)

■

Converting Shelters as essential services for continued operation in state of emergencies.

■

Institutionalising a mobile response unit at the level of the Police to respond to cases of GBV at the level of the community

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

EXPECTED IMPACT 8:

Leaving Behind Elderly Women and Women with Disabilities

The Mauritius Context

fully equipped Shelters. Mauritius is witnessing a progressive ageing of the elderly population. The category of people aged 60 years and above increased three-folds from 5.9% in 1972 to 17.4% in 2019. The number of oldest old increased six-folds, while the population aged 60-69 years and 70-79 years increased four-folds from 1972 to 2019.

In terms of the gender composition by age of the older population, it is noted that women tend to live longer than men, resulting in a feminization of the ageing population in Mauritius. In 2019, for every 100 women in the age group 60-69, there were only 90 men. For the oldest old (80+ years) the sex ratio reached 54 men for every 100 women43. It is foreseen that senior citizens are likely to be hit differently by COVID-19 on different levels; namely, health-status; at the psychological and emotional level; and in equitably accessing services, including through technologies. People living in Long Term Care Facilities are also at an exposed risk due to living in close proximities. Preexisting, co-morbidities or chronic health problems also can increase risk of infection 44, for example, in China, 80% of deaths were among people in their 60s or older, with general trend is being reflected in France and Italy as well. With confinement, older people are likely to delay seeing seeking medical help from the hospital, for example, for outpatient appointments, refill of prescriptions, delay in elective surgeries and overall check-ups. In Mauritius, co-morbidities are high amongst women. A higher number of women have died of Diabetes, while more men have died of causes related to heart diseases. As importantly as the physical health aspect of COVID-19, is the mental state of senior citizens during and post confinement/ self-isolation measures. Older adults, especially those who have been in isolation and those with cognitive decline/dementia, may become more anxious, and withdrawn during the outbreak

43 Statistics Mauritius, 2019, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Population and Vital Statistics 2019â&#x20AC;? in Economic and Social Indicators, Available Online at http:// statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/Publications/Pages/Pop_Vital_Yr19.aspx, Last Accessed 26 April 2020 44 WHO, 3 April 2020, Available Online at https://www.who.int/news-room/feature-stories/detail/who-delivers-advice-andsupport-for-older-people-during-covid-19, Last Accessed 27 April 2020 WHO, 21 March 2020, Infection Prevention and Control guidance for Long-Term Care Facilities in the context of COVID-19, Available Online at https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331508/WHO-2019-nCoV-IPC_long_term_care-2020.1eng.pdf, Last Accessed 27 April 2020

Expected Impacts: The Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Mauritius | Expected Impact 8

and after. This scenario is worsened for elderly women with disabilities. Provision of practical and emotional support through informal networks, health professionals and families would remain essential. Helping the elderly population maintain a healthy lifestyle such as daily light exercise and mental stimulation would further improve their quality of life45. Elderly women further hold a wealth of knowledge, skills and experiences and recognising the future contribution of the elderly in terms of knowledge sharing and mentoring would create a society where elderly people are not isolated but are valued and shown more respect. Intergenerational work is likely to further contribute to breaking down barriers between younger groups of people to appreciate the experiences and skills of older people and vice versa to foster greater understanding between generations. With the advent of COVID-19, Mauritius has seen a transformation in the way that online businesses have proliferated such as online-grocery buying platforms, socialisation through social-media, information sharing through online mobile applications, amongst others. The digital highway has revolutionised the way that people worldwide have socialised, sympathised, shared information, and used online platforms for purchasing food and other essential items. Elderly people, a majority of whom are women, who are not part of the digital chain may have been left behind in equitable access to these services. In this case, programmes have to be put in place for the elderly population (young-old and old-old) to equip them with new skills for independent living. Adding to this, women with disabilities may face challenges including lack of access to services and increased risk of GBV during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many women with disabilities require care and/or support workers to provide day-to-day or round-the-clock are reportedly facing challenges due to the inability of the care/support workers to travel and inability to continue to provide support. Additionally, due to the fear that the care/support workers could potentially bring the virus into the home due to their contact with other vulnerable persons, the family members may discourage or discontinue such services leaving the women with disabilities at greater risks. It is important to put in place systems to provide access to information and services for women with disabilities. In this context, providing access for care workers to visit women with disabilities and elderly requiring care and assistance should

45 WHO Guidance Note, 18 March 2020, Mental health and psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak, Available Online at https://mailchi.mp/who/covid-older-persons-march-2020?e=f72e4ef321, Last Accessed 27 April 2020

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

be seen as an essential service. Post COVID-19, Mauritius is likely to witness a rise in the Consumer Price Index. Hence, where possible equipping the elderly with entrepreneurial skills or transforming their existing skills into income-generating activities would contribute to extra income gains and contribute to their personal empowerment and independent living. Expected Impact

Mitigation Strategies

Elderly Women and Women/the girl child with disabilities will be disproportionately affected

■

Setting up a Space for Elderly Women to do away with social isolation, enhance their independent living skills and digital awareness/ use of ICTs

■

Providing work access permits to carers and disability-care workers as being part of the essential services category

■

Including the concerns of people with disabilities and the elderly in socio-economic impact assessments

■

Providing frontline workers with information on disability inclusion to improve service delivery for persons with disabilities.

■

Setting up of a Disability Helpline by the relevant Ministry/NGOs

■

Ensuring that Shelters are equipped with the necessary infrastructure to receive women with disabilities

■

Adapting Learning Channels for children with disabilities with school closures

Key Policy Options

ackling COVID-19 – a crisis that transcends health – requires a whole-ofGovernment and integrated crisis management response approach that is sensitive to practical and strategic gender needs and interests.

In the same vein, United Nations Country Team in Mauritius is invited to mainstream gender in all programmes and interventions, from the formulation to implementation and Monitoring and Evaluation Stages. In addition to the tables contained under each “Expected Impact”, this section contains a list of policy priorities. Based on the available sex disaggregated data in different sectors in Mauritius prior to COVID-19, and some limited sex-disaggregated data, post the lock-down period, and following an analysis of the expected impacts of the pandemic, Policy Priorities have been identified that are in line with the three major service lines of UNDP’s Gender Offer for COVID-19 response and recovery.

Service Line 1 “Health Systems Support” is being addressed by, inter alia, recommending (i) the development of gender-based violence preventive and response mechanisms including through adapting existing referral pathways for victim’s safety; and (ii) carrying out of massive awareness campaigns to promote gender equality and equity both at the household and community levels.

Service Line 2 “Inclusive and Integrated Crisis Management Responses” are being addressed by, inter alia, recommending (i) a top-down and bottom-up approach to decisionmaking on practical and strategic needs of women at all levels. The formulation of this Paper further serves as a basis to inform non-health Ministries on the multi-facetted gendered impacts of COVID-19 in sectors relating to employment, poverty, food security, ICT (amongst others). It is also anticipated that the gender sensitive analysis and policy proposals contained here-in will act as pointers for Stakeholders to implement gender-equitable behavior during and post COVID-19 crisis management.

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

Service Line 3“Addressing the Socio-Economic Impact of COVID-19” is being addressed by, inter alia, recommending (i) gender to be mainstreamed into any forthcoming socio-economic impact assessment (SEIA). At present, the Country Office has already advised on engendering the Terms of Reference of the forthcoming SEIA to capture the gendered impact of COVID-19 of different cohorts of women, and propose recommendations accordingly with a view to ensuring that women’s needs are taken into account in developmental strategies; and (ii) programmes for women’s economic recovery, including women in the informal sector and looking at the changing structures of work. These policy options are not a comprehensive list. Whilst each policy option is likely to require trade-offs with factors such as budgetary impact and work incentives, they should be viewed as a roadmap on of how gender-specific challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis may be addressed. Short-Medium- and Longer-term plans formulated should be cognizant of the differentiated impacts on women and men, in the light of their gendered roles and needs.

Policy Priority 1:

Addressing the socio-economic impacts of COVID19 1.a Collect data on the status of women post COVID-19 to enable a comparison with the pre-COVID-19 baseline to provide an analysis of the impact of the pandemic in different sectors. This exercise may be mainstreamed in Studies relating to impact assessments of the pandemic. Carrying out a gender sensitive socio-economic impact assessment (SEIA) in the primary, secondary and tertiary sectors as well as migrant workers is also amongst the first step in understanding the impacts of the pandemic on women and men46 from an intersectional approach. Special attention needs to be extended to the tertiary sector which employs a higher percentage of women. The Study should also look at intra-household gendered dynamics at the household level during confinement. The category “Women” is not a homogeneous group, is not a homogenous group, but also represents elderly women, women with disabilities, younger women,

46 UNDP Mauritius is cognizant of the need for up to date data for a more concise analysis of the situation post-COVID19. PreCOVID data provides an overview of the situation “as was” and provides an insight on the status of women at that point of time, hence, the need to have current data for a truly evidence based perspective.

Key Policy Options

migrant women, amongst others. Any integrated plan should be inclusive of the different practical and strategic needs of women from a theory of change approach, as well as gender mainstreaming strategies. In this context, Guidelines have been formulated by the UNDP to ensure that gender concerns are mainstreamed within SEIAs47.

Policy Priority 2:

Addressing changing structures of work 2.a Adopt policies on work-from-home and flexi-time to contribute to the goals of gender equity where-by such measures would also assist women in managing their triple roles

2.b Accelerate the transformation towards e-governance and e-parliamentary procedures thereby delivering services in a convenient, efficient customer-oriented and cost-effective way

2.c Create a paradigm shift in the way that Government and the Private sectors institutionalize telecommuting48 and encourage employees to work from home with the right incentives and tax deductions.

2.d Extend Internet/ Broadband coverage to women workers in the informal sector (where currently not registered) through appropriate schemes (such as internet bundles, etc) and build capacities of women therein to access ICT platforms.

47 Guidelines are available from the UNDP Country Office upon request 48 It is noted that in 2018, some 99% of the population was covered by mobile cellular telephony, same as in 2017. In April 2020, Statistics Mauritius reveals that international bandwidth usage reached an all-time time in April 2020 while Mauritius was in complete lockdown.. From 2017 to 2018, Broadband Internet subscriptions increased by 11.0% from 991,900 to 1,101,500, which indicates that high proportion of the population has access to internet. The average mobile cellular tariff (for 100 minutes of use during a month), expressed as a percentage of Gross National Income (GNI) per capita, stood at 0.9% in 2018, same as in 2017. Overall, internet access became more affordable in 2018 than in 2017. The internet access (for 20 hours of use during a month) as a percentage of GNI per capita declined from 2.3% in 2017 to 2.2% in 2018. Statistics Mauritius, 2019, Economic and Social Indicators: Information and Communication Technologies, Available Online at http://statsmauritius.govmu.org/English/Publications/Pages/ICT_Stats_Yr18.aspx, Last Accessed 20 May 2020

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

Policy Priority 3:

Gender RESPONSIVE Evidence Based Policy Making 3.a

Stand guided by evidence with rigorous data to formulate, implement and monitor policies and programmes; namely by conducting studies on: ■

The changing nature of work, and women’s employment in vulnerable sectors

■

The Multidimensional Feminisation of Poverty

■

The link between SDG 2 (Ending Hunger) and Gender - Women’s Role in Food Security Matters and Access to Nutritious Food (including for pregnant women, mothers and teenage mothers)

■

Study on Migrant Workers with a focus on Women Migrant Workers

■

Inclusion of a component to measure “telecommuting” in terms of “ability to” and “time on” with sex disaggregation, within the next Time Use Survey

3.b

Ensure that women are an important part of any forthcoming Crisis Response and Preparedness Plan, including in terms of gender equitable allocations of funding within any forthcoming Budget Exercises.

Key Policy Options

Policy Priority 4:

Gender Responsive Economic Recovery for Women 4.a Adopting a targeted procurement strategy by different entities (Government/private sector/NGOs) for services from women owned SMEs, when relevant

4.b Support Female Owned Small and Medium Enterprises to rebrand and recover by creating an online e-shop platform for women entrepreneurs and female dominated food or agricultural cooperatives with support for branding and marketing strategies49. Women in the informal sector as well as small farmers should be targeted for equitable access through specific regrouping, empowerment programmes and schemes, including internet access bundles, provision of mobile apps (etc.).

4.c Ensure that large-scale infrastructure projects and investments create descent jobs for women and enabling them to acquire new skills

4.d Implement programmes that mitigate womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s disproportionate care-giving responsibilities where womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s re-entry into the labour force is coupled with efforts to educate men on changing gender roles

4.e Carry out gender analysis to formulate gender- sensitive needs-based economic recovery frameworks and sector strategies for jobs and livelihoods.

4.f Support systematisation of data regarding participation in informal economic activities (disaggregated by sex, age, location and disability status)

49 See also 5.d. in terms of provision of schemes for equitable access to ICT

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

Policy Priority 5:

Targeted actions for Gender Based Violence 5.a Promote Strategic Gender Mainstreaming in all work while formulating, implementing and M&E initiatives in policies and programmes relating to addressing the pandemic, including in terms of gender equity in the allocation of resources through the COVID Solidarity Fund. This is likely to ensure targeted actions towards vulnerable groups such as elderly women, economically disadvantaged women and girls, and women and girls with disabilities.

5.b Prioritise responses to Domestic Violence, including the accessibility of Shelters and protection services. The use of technology such as using specialized online applications, online reporting, text messages, should also be adopted/ revived or enhanced, in cases where victims are not able to leave the confines of the house for rapid interventions. A mechanism of reaching perpetrators such as the setting up of a database of perpetrators should also be established. Creation of Apps for psycho-social support should be explored.

5.c Undertake Targeted Community Actions on GBV in a decentralized Manner â&#x2013;

Sustaining High level Political Commitment remains key in ensuring that Gender Based Violence (GBV) is kept on the Policy Table. The setting up of the High-Level Committee (HLC) on GBV sets a strong signal and testimony to the importance of GBV on the policy and political agenda. With the forthcoming HLC Strategic Plan, priority actions should include on-theground actions to (i) establish and strengthen multi-sectoral responses and referral pathways for quality essential GBV prevention, response and recovery services; ii) upscale and upgrade the 24x7 GBV hotlines with chat and messaging facilities. Support the outreach, community awareness and advocacy in addressing GBV and harmful practices through engaging the Government, CSOs, CBOs, Faith based and community leaders and youth to ensure that access to essential services for women is a priority and cannot be compromised during COVID-19; iii) sensitise the public at large in different localities and through the Citizens Support Unit ; (iv) provide practical

Key Policy Options

psycho-social advice through a network of psychologists and dedicated time-slots to victims and perpetrators; (v) continue the decentralization of Domestic Violence Assistance by instituting help-desks in Citizens Advice Bureaux. Victims and Perpetrators should feel supported within their own communities and provided with alternative reporting mechanisms that are conducive to reporting violence. These may include engaging with Pharmacies to be stop-points for reporting or for providing psychological assistance to victims and perpetrators through dedicated timeslots made available to psychologists; (vi) Strengthen the capacity for rapid response by the Police through mobile units in the community within the Republic; (vii) ■

Speeding up the Integrated Plan of Action of the High-Level Committee on GBV

■

Full and effective implementation of the Perpetrator Rehabilitation Programme to ensure perpetrator accountability

■

Investing in sustained massive communication and awareness campaigns at community levels in at-risk regions and targeting men on gendered roles and relations

■

Political leaders as well as Community leaders should ensure that their message on zero tolerance to Domestic Violence is highlighted in their public announcements and policies, including a commitment to increase investment in services and organisations that provide services to survivors of domestic violence.

■

Leverage behavioural science theories to add value to national campaigns and shift public perceptions on domestic violence (DV) and framing DV as a Police matter and criminal offence

■

Re-engineering existing welfare centers or Citizen Advice Bureaux with dedicated Women Corners with various assistance for victims of domestic violence

■

Setting up of a Model self-sufficient Shelter with economic empowerment programmes for victims of GBV; including a documentation corner; medical and psychological counselling; gym (amongst others)

■

Carry out amendment to the Protection from Domestic Violence Act for community sanctioning of domestic violence

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

■

The Mauritius Context

Introduce innovative approaches to advance a paradigm shift in gender relations such as cartoon productions, engaging with religious leaders to support behavioural change, outreach campaigns with young men heads of households

5.d Sustain programmes to address GBV50. As Governments are likely to increase allocations relating to managing the disease, it would be critical to ensure that GBV programmes are accounted for in government budgets ■

Realigning resources in a gender equitable manner for core and essential services, while ensuring that maternal care, sexual and reproductive services and women’s programmes operate in a sustained manner and do not undermine the existing gains made towards women’s empowerment and gender equality.

■

Increasing women’s agency and voices in programmes that impact on them and matter to them. Identifying the practical and strategic needs of women as narrated by them would place women’s interests at the centre of responses.

5.e Enhance Quality Responses to GBV through an integrated approach by ■

Upgrading training packages, toolkits and standard operating procedures for police, prosecutors, judges, correction officers and human rights commission officers to reflect understanding of gender issues and handling of GBV cases.

■

Supporting special units across the police, corrections, prosecutors and courts to work with victims and perpetrators of domestic violence

■

Leveraging with the Innovation Labs by Encouraging technology bootcamps or social innovation camps bringing together young women innovators to develop prototypes on GBV apps, such as the setting up of crowd-sourced data on social media platforms to map out areas that are marked as high-risk

50 UNDP Mauritius, 2017, Sultan R., The Economic Cost of Intimate Partner Violence in Mauritius, Port Louis The economic cost of Intimate Partner Violence amounts to Rs2b (excluding intangible costs)

Key Policy Options

for sexual harassment, development of apps with games that develop self-assertiveness, leadership, positive thinking â&#x2013;

Setting up of a Digital Toolkit App for access by women and men in situations of violence and communicating there-with51.

â&#x2013;

Carrying out Training of all HR Personal on GBV and Institutionalising an Anti-Sexual Harassment Policy in all Government departments, including parastatal bodies

â&#x2013;

Adopt gender-responsive budgeting practices as a strategy to address GBV

5.f

Policy Priority 6:

Addressing Intersectionality- Elderly Women

Appreciating the diversity in the situation of older women requires a variety of policy responses. Demographic change is resulting in unprecedented number of older people, comprising in majority of women in Mauritius. The Confinement period brought by COVID-19 and its impact on the elderly population paves the way to a reflection on the socio-economic status of elderly women and their quality of life. A category of the young-old still have opportunities to engage in decent employment, while the middle-old have different interests. The higher number of women transitioning into these two categories presents an opportunity to promote age-sensitive programmes and prioritise a life-course approach there-in.

6.a Ensure age-sensitive and gender responsive programming so that the interests of the three categories of the elderly population (the young old; the middle old; and oldest old) are accounted for in national programmes and budgets. Policies formulated should be underpinned by the guiding themes contained in the UN Principles for Older Persons; namely, Independence, Participation, Care and Self-Fulfillment.

51 See https://www.techsafety.org/text-best-practices for examples

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic:

The Mauritius Context

6.b Provide opportunities for willing and capable older persons to participate in and contribute to the ongoing activities of society. ■

Establishing an all-inclusive infrastructure such as a Day Centre for the Elderly that is likely to improve their well- being through recreational, artistic and socialisation activities; provision of independent living skills; participating in courses leading to income-generation, and provision of internet skills to access online platforms.

■

Setting up a mentor/buddy programme to bridge inter-generational gap between generations of women

■

Leverage on the ability of the elderly to use rapidly advancing technology to enable, particularly elderly women and those with disabilities to achieve a better quality of living, specifically through tailor-made ICT programmes

6.c

Conclusion

ith a population of 50.5% of females, emergency responses which may be limited in their focus on gender issues and intersectionalities are likely to exacerbate existing inequalities, with direct and indirect negative impacts on gendered relations and womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s socio-economic status. This note has provided several policy recommendations to address the impacts of COVID-19 in Mauritius. In the immediate term, a gender sensitive socio-economic impact assessment of COVID-19 is of the essence to better situate the gendered impacts of the pandemic and come up with evidence-based solutions. In addressing the economic impact on COVID-19, it would be crucial to ensure that gender equity measures are taken into consideration so that women benefit equitably from schemes or stimulus packages in their respective sectors. The tertiary sector would require a more detailed gender analysis, underpinned by intersectional frameworks, given that it employs a higher proportion of women. As importantly, domestic violence against women and children remains an issue of urgent tackling. The appropriate approach to addressing domestic violence remains through the strengthening of the existing institutional capacities including multi-sectoral responses, referral pathways and 24x7 hotline equipped with free, chat and sms services for prevention and increased attention to victims and perpetrators through targeted community communication campaigns; leveraging on the use of online technologies and mobile applications to respond to domestic violence cases; and upgrading of shelter services from a more integrated perspective. In parallel, implementing the perpetrator rehabilitation programme through an institutionalised referral pathway remains on the agenda to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable and are equipped with skills to address their criminogenic needs, risk factors and triggers. Addressing gender equality in COVID-19 responses should be multi-dimensional. Its impacts are the results of the intersection of economic, structural and social inequalities where women are already affected in a disproportionate manner. The impacts of COVID-19 remain two-folds: they deepen inequality for women and, render these inequalities more visible. n

POLICY BRIEFING NOTE

The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mauritius Context

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The Gendered Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mauritius Context

Articles inside

5.3 Policy Priority 3: Gender Sensitive Evidence Based Policy Making

5.4 Policy Priority 4: Gender Responsive Economic Recovery for Women

Addressing Intersectionality – Elderly Women

Gender Mainstreaming and Gender Based Violence

5.2 Policy Priority 2: Addressing Changing Structures of Work

5.1 Policy Priority 1: Addressing the Socio-economic Impacts of COVID19

Expected Impact 3: A Limited Perspective on Diversity has the Potential

The Impact on Reporting Gender Based Violence CasesExpected Impact 7

Gender-Neutral Approaches will Exacerbate InequityExpected Impact 4

Reorientation and Re-skilling