Women continue to face higher unemployment rates compared to their male counterparts. This gender disparity is not a new phenomenon, but it has been exacerbated by the turbulence of recent years.
Historically, women have consistently experienced higher unemployment rates, with few exceptions. The COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a peak in unemployment for both genders in 2020, momentarily closed the gap. However, as economies recover, we find that women are once again more likely to be unemployed than men.
The reasons behind this gap are multifaceted. One contributing factor is that women tend to face greater difficulties in their job searches. The traditional definition of unemployment assumes that job seekers of all genders face similar conditions and are equally available to start work on short notice. However, this assumption doesn’t align with the realities many women experience.
The International Labour Organization (ILO) has introduced the “jobs gap” measure to capture a more comprehensive view of unemployment. This measure includes individuals actively seeking employment, those not actively searching for opportunities, and those searching but unable to join the workforce on short notice. Shockingly, 15% of women fall into this jobs gap category, significantly higher than the 10.5% of men.
When both men and women actively seek employment, women are less likely to be readily available to start work on short notice compared to men. This disparity is influenced by various factors, including a lack of suitable job opportunities and limited access to existing ones. Women often shoulder disproportionate care responsibilities and may face discouragement when seeking employment.Women’s participation in the labor force is not only an economic imperative but a driver of innovation and resilience.
The 32.2% gender gap in unemployment is not uniform across regions. Disparities are most pronounced in the Middle East and North Africa, where the parity ratio stands at a staggering 2.69. Latin America and the Caribbean follow with a parity ratio of 1.51, and Eurasia and Central Asia at 1.21. East Asia and the Pacific, however, stand as an exception, with unemployment rates lower for female workers than for men.
