Rapid gender assessment of the impact of COVID-19 on the lives of women and men in Azerbaijan

Author(s)/editor(s)

UNFPA/UN Women; Lead author: Ms. Ayshem Balayeva, Head of the Department on Public Opinion Surveys, Centre for Social Research; Contributing authors: Mr. Zaur Afandiyev, Lead Consultant on Research Methods, Centre for Social Research; Mr. Inqilab Shahbazo

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has forced the government of Azerbaijan to impose a series of restrictive measures in an effort to control the increasing number of infections and fatalities. This rapid gender assessment aims to understand the different dimensions of how the pandemic and the measures adopted to tackle it have affected the lives of women and men in Azerbaijan.

It was developed within the framework of the "EU 4 Gender Equality: Together against gender stereotypes and gender-based violence programme, funded by the European Union and implemented jointly by UN Women and UNFPA. The assesment was conducted with support from the Centre for Social Research, based on responses from 1,512 participants (49 percent women, 51 percent men). The report captures the major impact the pandemic has had on the country’s medical, economic and social systems, and on the sources of livelihoods for women and men in Azerbaijan. It also advocates for gender responsiveness in the relief and recovery measures that will be undertaken to alleviate the consequences of the pandemic.