Leaving no women behind: Evaluating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on livelihood outcomes in Kenya and Ethiopia

Abstract

The SARS-COV-2 pandemic has revolutionised our lives, bringing with it the twin crises of illness and the need for an optimal mix of policies to alleviate its impact on the population. More research is needed to determine the effects of the pandemic on food insecurity, incomes and consumption and whether female-headed families in low-income countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia fare worse than their male-headed counterparts. We examined the aggregate impact of the pandemic on incomes, consumption patterns, and food insecurity using high-frequency phone surveys con-ducted in Ethiopia and Kenya. The empirical analysis estimates linear probability models that relate livelihood outcomes with household headship and other socioeconomic characteristics as controls. Overall, the pandemic increased the likelihood of food insecurity while decreasing in-come and consumption, particularly among female-headed households. In Kenya, living in a female-headed home increased the possibility of an adult going without food by about 10%, an adult skipping a meal by about 9.9%, and a child missing a meal by about 17% in the seven days preceding the telephone survey. In Ethiopia, living in a female-headed household increased the likelihood of an adult going hungry, skipping a meal, and running out of food by about 24.35%, 18.9%, and 26.7%, respectively. Salient pre-existing socioeconomic inequalities further exacerbated the effects of the pandemic on livelihoods. The findings have important implications for public policy and preparations by governments and other organisations interested in developing suitable gender-sensitive measures to lessen the impact of future pandemics in Kenya, Ethiopia, and other economies with comparable structures.