Crisis Within a Crisis: Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 in South Sudan and Policy Implications for Resilience and Recovery

The policy measures introduced following the emergence of COVID-19 pandemic have dramatically disrupted the daily livelihood of low-income female-headed households. Most of them are less-educated, self-employed or employed in informal sectors without social protection or any kind of insurance. As care givers and head of households, the majority are involved in hand-to-mouth businesses, own fewer assets and live in densely populated areas which puts them at high-risk of exposure to the COVID-19 infection. Literature indicates that social distancing and stay at home policies can contribute to flattening of the curve of infections and reduce pressure on health systems. Yet, such measures are less productive in the absence of alternative sources of income and livelihood. Women and girls are disproportionately affected due to increased burden of unpaid work, gender-based violence, food insecurity, poverty and economic hardship. While there is inadequate health services and densely populated households, COVID-19 has increased water usages by 50 percent. I argue that understanding the gender-differentiated impacts of disease outbreak is fundamental to creating effective and equitable policies and interventions that will leave no one behind. The research calls for clear policies on economic recovery and food distribution, behavioral change, information sharing and continuous inclusion of women in planning and decision-making structures to ensure that their concerns are effectively integrated in the implementation and monitoring of the COVID-19 prevention and response measures.