She Told Us So Again
By
Kalkidan Lakew and Emily Janoch
·
March 7, 2022
COVID-19’s impacts around the world are worse than they were in September 2020. Far from a return to “normal,” women and girls are saying that their situation continues to get worse. Fati Musa in Nigeria says, “Women have suffered a lot during the pandemic, and we are not yet recovering from this hardship.” 55% of women reported gaps in their livelihoods in 2020. Now that number is 71%. For food insecurity, the number has jumped from 41% to 66%. 63% of women say that their greatest need is mental health support.
Women have stepped up to the challenge. "We are women leaders in emergency . . . we have the capacity to say: I have a voice and a vote, I am not going to stay stagnant . . ." (Colombia). In Niger, women are saying, “Now we women are not afraid to defend ourselves when a decision does not suit us.”
The constant struggle is taking its toll. Women are almost twice as likely to report mental health challenges as they were in 2020. As one woman in Iraq describes, “If any opportunity appeared, the man would be the favorite . . . This psychologically affected many women...”
This report represents the voices of more than 22,000 people in 23 countries since September of 2020.