COVID-19 pandemic profoundly changed lives of women and men in spring 2020. The UNFPA and UN Women regional offices for Europe and Central Asia have initiated regional research aiming at assessing the impact of pandemic on women’s and men’s livelihoods and experiences. The report presents findings based on Rapid Gender Assessment in Serbia, conducted by SeConS – Development Initiative Group.
The main objective of the survey was to provide insights in how COVID-19 pandemic impacted livelihoods of women and men, and if and how it (re)shaped gender inequalities. The outbreak of pandemic raised some crucial questions: have the changed reality and governmental measures in response to pandemic only revealed more clearly existing and persisting structural gender inequalities, or even deepened them? Or maybe challenges created new opportunities to dismantle discriminatory practices and structures reproducing inequalities, creating new space for change towards more human centred development, more inclusive and gender equitable societies? This survey attempted to provide some evidence for answers to these questions.