A Feminist Economic Analysis on the Impact of COVID-19 in the Palestinian Economy – Executive Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the socio-economic crisis in State of Palestine in which women have suffered more than men in almost all aspects of their labour-market participation and wellbeing. Women more persistently lost jobs than men, particularly in the personal services, accommodation, and trade sectors. As a result, women’s wage mass saw a stronger decline. However, for most sectors, excluding trade, job losses were likely concentrated among low-pay and informal workers, recurrently resulting in increasing average wages and reducing of the gender pay gap. Women entrepreneurs in the critical and high-contracting sectors experienced job losses likely associated with the closure of their businesses, most of which operated in the grey economy.

Palestinian authorities undertook measures to counteract the negative economic outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic and to protect the livelihoods of workers. While the response was timely and strongly donor-supported, various stakeholders highlighted its insufficiency, which could also have been related to fiscal strain. Immediate and longer-term measures to be undertaken by the Palestinian authorities are needed to ensure a gender-responsive recovery from the pandemic.