The shutdown of the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic resulted in higher unemployment rates for women than for men, according to a report by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies.
"The study shows us how women in Israel are affected by job losses and the economic crisis," Liora Bowers, author of the report, said on Thursday.
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Tel Aviv residents at HaCarmel Market wearing protective face masks
(Photo: Shachar Goldstein)
According to the figures, although women represent slightly less than 50% of the working population, they have accounted for 56% of unemployment claims filed with the Israeli government since March 1.
"This is of great concern to us," added Bowers, who fears that this situation will have a significant negative impact on the progress made by women in Israel concerning employment rights and equal treatment.
"Given the higher rate of job losses among women since the start of the coronavirus crisis, there is a real risk regarding their presence in the labor market and the reduction of the wage gap, two areas where significant progress has been made in recent decades," the report states.
Israel has curbed many of the strict coronavirus restrictions imposed by the government since March, allowing for beaches, restaurants, and scores of workers to return to their offices.
But fears of a possible second-wave of the disease have risen as of late, with Israel's Health Ministry announcing on Wednesday that nearly 300 new cases were discovered over a 24-hour window, marking the highest count for infections in a single day since April.