World Bank gender assessment: pandemic risks widening gender gaps in Georgia
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. Photo: Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge.
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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.
Georgian companies Crystal, GEPRA and Adjara Group are the winners of the Business for Gender Equality Award ceremony which was held on March 25.
The European Union and the United Nations have launched a three-year regional programme called ‘EU 4 Gender Equality: Together Against Gender Stereotypes and Gender-Based Violence’ to strengthen gender equality and prevent gender-based violence in the countries of the Eastern Partnership.
Comparisons between data from 2013 and 2019 highlight promising changes both inside and outside the home, but continued attention and resources are needed to maintain and accelerate progress towards equality,” said the survey.
Human rights, gender equality, healthy living and reproductive health will soon be an integral part of the Georgian school curriculum.
The latest ‘Europe and Central Asia Economic Update’ published by the World Bank reads that the Georgian economy is unlikely to recover to pre-Covid levels until late 2022. The World Bank says that the Georgian economy is projected to expand to 4% in 2021 and then to firm to 5% in 2022.
About 6,000 micro, small and medium sized enterprises in Georgia impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic are to benefit from €85 million in financing support, approved today by the World Bank. The new 'Relief and Recovery for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises' (MSMEs) project aims to help businesses and create jobs by expanding and strengthening programmes that support MSMEs and by promoting digitalisation of Georgia’s economy.
Some of the brightest and most inspiring women and projects involved in technology and innovation in Georgia were revealed at the Grace Hopper Award ceremony in Tbilisi on Wednesday, with six recipients distinguished at the event.
Only 3% of women employed in Georgia are entitled by law to use full-time paid maternity leave, finds a new report published by the International School of Economics at Tbilisi State University (ISET) and the UN Women.