The economic and financial crisis: its impact on poverty, work and women's time

This document presents an analysis of the financial and economic crisis from a gender perspective and thus covers some aspects not typically recognized as relevant to the analysis of the effects of the crisis and in the design of bailout and recovery policies, such as the role of unpaid work by women before, during and after the crisis. In the first section, the most familiar aspects of the crisis are reviewed. The second section presents the analytical framework that guides this work, highlighting the points of intersection between paid and unpaid work derived from the sexual division of labour that underlie the market, families and public policies. The defining characteristics of inequality in Latin America are discussed, especially of the inequality arising from discrimination against women, for the purpose of calling attention to the different impacts of the crisis on the labour market. The third section analyses lessons learned from previous crises, drawing on information from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Uruguay, in order to identify the transmission channels of the present crisis and its different effects on men and women in the areas of poverty, employment and unpaid work. Lastly, the paper provides a brief analysis of the policy responses that are currently being pursued and concludes by offering some suggestions on issues to be discussed, needed research and short-term policies.