Digitalization and Employment Gender Gaps During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean

By Yuanchen Yang, Manuk Ghazanchyan, Silvia Granados-Ibarra, Gustavo Canavire-Bacarreza

January 12, 2024

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Yuanchen Yang, Manuk Ghazanchyan, Silvia Granados-Ibarra, and Gustavo Canavire-Bacarreza. Digitalization and Employment Gender Gaps During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2024) accessed November 21, 2024

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

Despite its negative effects, the COVID-19 pandemic has also accelerated Latin America's digitalization. The rapid increase in connectivity and digital services was helpful in mitigating the pandemic's negative impact on the labor markets, especially for those with enough flexibility to continue working from home. The shock has particularly affected women due to their household responsibilities and labor market characteristics. This paper examines how digitalization may have affected gender gaps in employment and job loss related to the COVID-19 crisis. Using a sample of Latin American countries, our findings suggest that higher levels of digitalization are associated with increased female employment and reduced job loss for both men and women. These findings hold even after controlling for factors such as child care, household chores, and the COVID-19 shock. Our results are also robust to various econometric techniques.

Subject: COVID-19, Digitalization, Employment, Gender, Health, Labor, Technology, Unemployment, Women

Keywords: Caribbean, Caribbean's digitalization, Context ofthe COVID-19 crisis, COVID-19, Digitalization, Employment, Employment gender gaps, Female employment, Growth, Internet access, Labor market characteristic, Unemployment, Women

Publication Details

Pages:

47
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2024/012
Stock No:

WPIEA2024012
ISBN:

9798400263248
ISSN:

1018-5941

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