Building back better after COVID: Start with gender

One hundred and eleven years since the first International Women’s Day, we are at an important turning point on this March 8, as the first signs of a post-COVID reality begins to take shape.

Women and the pandemic

The global COVID-19 pandemic has been a stark reminder of the tremendous work that remains to be done to build a gender equal world. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, women around the world have been on the front lines responding to this challenge and caring for the recovery of the sick. However, women have also faced its dire consequences on their health and human rights: alarming levels of domestic violence; increased and unrecognised caring responsibilities, as well as job loss and economic insecurity.

Across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has clearly demonstrated that gender equality remains a work in progress. Its gendered effects, on women in particular, have been an important reminder of the need to account for gender perspectives when preparing, responding, and recovering from crises. In order to build back better from the pandemic, strategies for economic recovery must include concrete actions to improve women’s rights and livelihoods.

In times of crisis and conflict, women play a vital role in building peaceful communities, often defying enormous risk. Despite their significant contributions to preventing, ending crises and conflicts, and rebuilding after them, women remain largely excluded from the establishment and from political life. Their work remains underfunded, their expertise underestimated, their economic potential untapped and they are the targets of violence.

The Jordanian government and its partners recognise a need to improve the situation for women also in Jordan. The country is ranked 144th out of 156 countries in the Women’s Political Empowerment Index of the World Economic Forum’s 2021 Gender Gap Report. Only 14 per cent of women were active in the workforce prior to the pandemic, and 15 of the 130 seats (12 per cent) in Parliament were won by women in the last legislative elections.

What is needed

Now is the time to act. National COVID-19 pandemic recovery plans should seek to reduce inequalities and build inclusive communities. Efforts to increase the full, effective and meaningful participation of women and girls in society, including political participation at all levels, must continue. The full participation of women in consultation processes, reconstruction initiatives, economic recovery efforts, decision-making roles and awareness campaigns must be guaranteed. To build more prosperous communities, the creation of decent, equitable and fairly compensated work opportunities for women remains crucial.

As Nordic countries, we recognise the strong partnership we have with Jordan in the promotion of an inclusive and gender-mainstreamed development agenda. We acknowledge the efforts made by Jordan to promote gender mainstreaming, including in The National Strategy for women, which came about as a result of a comprehensive and inclusive process, and has sets ambitious targets to improve the situation for women in Jordan. The announced reforms focusing on economic reforms, as well as political modernization, provide good opportunities to further strengthen women’s role in society as well as community.

All over the world, strategies for recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic should strive to reduce inequalities and foster inclusivity. Efforts to build back better must aim for full, real and meaningful inclusion of women and girls in all sectors of society, including equal participation in the workforce and political participation at all levels.

The international community, not least the Nordic countries is working with governments and NGOs around the world, including in Jordan, to help women and girls achieve a better, more equal future.

Merete Juhl, ambassador of Denmark, Tarja Fernandez, ambassador of Finland, Espen Lindbæck, ambassador of Norway and Alexandra Rydmark, ambassador of Sweden