Coronavirus crisis drives gender inequality with women ‘almost twice as likely as men’ to have lost jobs

Female workers are also less optimistic about chances of remaining employed in looming recession, writes Maya Oppenheim

'The gender dimension of Covid-19 should be on policy-makers' radar,' experts say (Getty)

The coronavirus crisis is driving gender inequality with women almost twice as likely as men to have lost their job during the pandemic, a new survey suggests.

Researchers at the University of Exeter’s Business School discovered 7 per cent of women had been made redundant during the lockdown in comparison to 4 per cent of men.

The report, which polled 1,500 people, found women were more likely to have seen their working hours reduced during the Covid-19 emergency while simultaneously taking on more childcare responsibilities, housework and homeschooling than men.