World Bank gender assessment: pandemic risks widening gender gaps in Georgia

Georgia has experienced significant economic growth and poverty reduction in recent years, but the benefits have not been evenly distributed between men and women, according to the 2020 Georgia Gender Assessment, released today by the World Bank. 

In the Europe and Central Asia region, the pandemic has further exacerbated gender vulnerabilities, where women are faced with immense stress in balancing paid and unpaid work with family and childcare needs, as well as keeping their businesses afloat. In Georgia, recent survey evidence indicates that women have been more likely than men to leave employment since the breakout of Covid-19", says the World Bank.

The report says that although women in Georgia enjoy substantial access to education, it does not necessarily translate to improved skills and labour market outcomes. 

Despite near-universal school coverage, the education system struggles to provide quality learning and skills for boys and girls, which is reflected in Georgia’s Human Capital Index (HCI) of 0.57, implying that children achieve only 57% of their human capital potential by age 18", says the World Bank.

The 2020 Georgia Gender Assessment reads that women also face more limited access to economic opportunities compared to their male counterparts. 

Georgia’s gender gap in labour force participation stands at 19 percentage points, while the wage gap results in men earning 16% more than women, after controlling for differences in demographic and job characteristics. In addition, women’s occupational and sectoral segregation locks them in economic activities with lower earnings and tends to exclude them from science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields", says the World Bank.

Meanwhile, limited access to finance and other barriers can limit women’s entrepreneurial potential, according to the World Bank.