As pandemic drags on, Latin American women lose even more ground

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens to worsen existing gender gaps, exacerbate precarious labour conditions and erase progress made by Latin American women workers.

Bogota, Colombia –  Elcy Gomez’s monthly rent cheque has turned into a ticking time bomb. The mother of three was just starting her own herbal medicine business when the coronavirus pandemic hit. As COVID-19 lockdowns in Bogota stretched on, her work evaporated, plunging the family into debt. With a diabetic husband and children in their early 20s just entering the workforce, the economic burden fell on Gomez. For a year and a half, the family has scraped together small sums of money, just enough to pay for their small apartment in the far reaches of the city and put food on the table.