COVID-19 Pandemic, Patriarchy and Gender Justice in Nigeria

• In Event: Comparative Analyses of Gender and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

This paper explores how Covid-19 government restrictive measures have impacted on the patriarchal structure of the society in which men dominate and the implications for gender justice. In Nigeria, the Covid-19 pandemic-induced restrictive measures including lockdown, and social distancing spawned diverse gendered impacts on men and women. Studies have focused on the rise in gender violence, discrimination, poverty and injustice, in which women are disproportionately victimized. Despite the disproportionate adverse impacts, there are positive ways in which women are impacted. The gendered impacts of the pandemic intersect with the socio-economic status and position of men and women in the pre-pandemic era. These socio-economic factors, linked to the employment status, financial position, empowerment and social standing of men and women are determinants of gendered power relations in the pre and during the pandemic era. The impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on men and women transcend the patriarchal structure of the society and reflect the gendered socio-economic status and position of men and women. The analysis of the gendered impact of Covid-19 has to take into considerations how these factors intersect with the pandemic-induced plight of men and women and the profound implications for the gender justice in the age of Covid-19.

Author

• Abosede Omowumi Babatunde, University of Ilorin