Joint Statement of the UN in Mongolia on the occasion of International Women’s Day
As the country responds to and recovers from the devastating effects of the pandemic, we are offered a valuable opportunity to bring about gender equality, especially for women’s leadership.
©FAO/K.Purevraqchaa
Women stand at the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis in Mongolia. Women are healthcare workers, caregivers and teachers, food producers, social workers and civil servants.
In Mongolia, women make up 82 per cent of all healthcare workers, and every day, they risk their own health to care for those affected by the virus. This is why for International Women’s Day 2021, the UN aims to recognize the significant efforts made by women and girls during the pandemic with the theme “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a COVID-19 World”.
Yet, as we pay tribute to their tremendous efforts in COVID-19 response and recovery, we must acknowledge that women and girls continue to bear the brunt of the negative impacts of the pandemic. COVID-19 and the measures put in place to control its spread have worsened the already deep inequalities that women and girls face, undoing years of progress made toward gender equality.
Women are more likely to work in sectors facing the most difficulties during the pandemic. Micro, small and medium enterprises, which are largely dominated by women, are struggling the most to survive unparalleled disruptions. Unemployment rate is higher among women than men mainly due to the unpaid care work that has increased exponentially due to extended school closures and lockdowns. This added responsibility interferes with their work, their education, and their self-care and personal development during the already challenging past year.
Women are the backbone of agriculture, guardians of household food security and are responsible for much of the food production. In Mongolia, herder women also have a vital role in managing the herding businesses and keeping the traditional livestock practices. Yet women, especially in rural areas face greater constraints than men in accessing productive resources, services, technologies, and financial assets, which makes them more vulnerable to the socio-economic effects of COVID-19.
Lockdowns and quarantines have made access to social and medical services far more challenging, especially for pregnant women and women with disabilities. Maternal mortality increased by 28 per cent during this period, with at least 5 cases directly linked to pandemic-related risks and concerns.
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