Pandemic Paradox: Unveiling the Gendered Impact of COVID-19 in Bangladesh

Abstract:

This article aims to explore the gendered impact of COVID-19 in Bangladesh. The study is qualitative, and both primary and secondary sources of data are explored to meet the purpose. Respondents to this study were selected using the purposive sampling method. Online, one-on-one in-depth interviews were conducted with participating women and their husbands via WhatsApp, Skype, and Viber between February and August 2020. Focusing on Bangladesh, the article highlights that women endure huge work burdens associated with productive, reproductive, and community work, which has put them under increased pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings suggest that women’s unpaid reproductive work burden has been perpetuated, reinforced, and increased during COVID-19. The article also reveals that women’s vulnerability in terms of unpaid work, domestic violence, life responsibilities, frontline community activities, and insecure informal paid work has been boosted in the context of COVID-19. The article concludes that although women are disproportionately affected by the pandemic in many ways, policymakers are yet to acknowledge the gendered impact of COVID-19, let alone make necessary recovery policies. It is hoped that this new research will fill the knowledge gap and could also be beneficial for academics and researchers who are keen to further explore the field of women’s vulnerability in the context of disease outbreaks.

Keywords:

COVID-19, disease outbreak, deadly disease, domestic violence, women’s work burden, Women’s triple role

Citation: Faraha Nawaz and Atia Nowshin Bushra (2023). Gender Impact of ‘COVID-19’ in Bangladesh: Risks, Response, and Recovery. Horizon J. Hum. Soc. Sci. Res. 5 (1), 63–76. https://doi.org/10.37534/bp.jhssr.2023.v5.n1.id1207.p63