What COVID-19 Tells Us About Gender Inequality in Latin America

May 1, 2020 | Eugene Zapata-Garesché and Luciana Cardoso
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Mexico City – In the midst of social and economic unrest, the COVID-19 pandemic appears as an uninvited guest to an already crowded cocktail of Latin American headaches. Prevailing rates of poverty and an already weak economic outlook place the region in a fragile position to face the more than 100,000 cases confirmed through April. The virus has landed on fertile ground to expose and aggravate pre-existing social disparities and divisions that characterize much of Latin America.

The virus has highlighted some of the struggles that social minorities face in society, particularly women. The lockdown policies imposed to prevent its spread have resulted in heightened levels of gender-related domestic violence, with a surge in the numbers of complaints. Policies deciding who can leave their homes based on sex, have also shed a light on some of society’s uncomfortable expectations around women.