We analyse the early effects of the COVID-19 crisis and lockdown in South Africa on women’s and men’s work in the paid and unpaid (care) economies. Because women and men typically have different roles in both spheres, it is likely that they would experience the negative effects of the crisis unevenly, potentially exacerbating existing inequalities. Based on a large national survey conducted during South Africa’s lockdown period, we find that women have been affected disproportionately by the crisis. While women comprised less than half of the employed in February, they experienced two-thirds of the net job losses between February and April, with the most vulnerable groups affected more. Among those who remained in employment, there was a larger fall in working hours among women than men. Compounding these disproportionate effects in the labour market, women also took on more of the additional childcare that resulted following school closures. The crisis has therefore increased gender inequality in South Africa, reversing some of the hard-won gains of the previous 25 years.

我们分析了南非 COVID-19 危机和封锁对有偿和无偿（护理）经济体中女性和男性工作的早期影响。由于女性和男性通常在这两个领域扮演着不同的角色，他们很可能会不均衡地经历危机的负面影响，从而有可能加剧现有的不平等。根据在南非封锁期间进行的一项大型全国调查，我们发现女性受到危机的影响尤为严重。虽然 2 月份女性在就业人口中所占比例不到一半，但在 2 月至 4 月期间，她们经历了三分之二的净失业，其中最弱势群体受到的影响更大。在那些仍在工作的人中，女性的工作时间下降幅度大于男性。除了对劳动力市场的这些不成比例的影响外，妇女还承担了更多因学校停课而导致的额外儿童保育工作。因此，这场危机加剧了南非的性别不平等，扭转了过去 25 年来之不易的成果。