Anita Gurumurthy was part of an expert panel discussion on the impact of Covid-19 crisis on gender justice in Asia.
The corona pandemic and the related countermeasures, once again, exposed persisting inequalities in Asian societies – in wealth and income, but also along lines like gender, race, caste, and others. Especially less privileged members of society were hit hard. At the same time, the pandemic induced digital leaps and while this might create opportunities for the future, it might also reinforce inequalities.
The pandemic has negatively impacted women in Asia in many regards, but with every crisis also comes an opportunity for change. This is also reflected in slogans like ‘build back better’ that at the same time point to the fact that the ‘old normal’ was far from perfect when it comes to equality, justice, and sustainability. In this context, one unanswered but decisive question is: How does such a ‘better’ look like regarding gender equality in Asia?
To answer this question the Gender Justice Hub Asia took a closer look at the systematic implications of the Corona pandemic regarding women and gender equality and identify possible implications for the future through this event.
There was a keynote address by 𝗝𝗮𝘆𝗮𝘁𝗶 𝗚𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗵, followed by a panel discussion which also included:
𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗶 𝗞𝗶𝗻𝗴 (International Labour Organization, ILO)
𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗶 𝗙𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗵 (SRI Institute, Indonesia)
𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 (University of Philippines, Center for Women and Gender Studies)
𝗣𝗮𝗼𝗹𝗮 𝗦𝗶𝗺𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶, (International Trade Union Federation, ITUC)
The exchange was moderated by 𝗔𝗹𝗶𝘆𝗮 𝗛𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗺𝗶 𝗞𝗵𝗮𝗻, former Professor of Economics.