Hello, I'm Tamerson Ford. Welcome to Business Daily from the BBC.

Coming up, the IMF is warning the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to roll back gains in women's

economic opportunities despite decades of progress. We explore how women in Sub-Saharan Africa are impacted.

About 60% of Africa's health workforce is female. Also, women in the region are more likely

than men to be employed in the informal sector. And this has lower pay and less job security.

And we take a look at whether women's voices are being heard at a policymaking level.

No. And this is the reality, right? We're still sitting in a situation where we know that these

things are happening. We know the effect that it's having on women. And I think that that's the

criticism about the current moment.

Leaders don't necessarily learn and we haven't learned enough.

That's all in Business Daily from the BBC.

Coronavirus has hit women hard all over the world. But in sub-Saharan Africa, economies rely on the informal workforce,

propped up by women. During lockdowns, these were many of the jobs that disappeared first.

But there are other reasons why the International Monetary Fund says women are feeling the brunt of this

pandemic. Lisa Kolovic is an economist

at the IMF and focuses on gender issues in sub-Saharan Africa. Prior to the pandemic, women

tended to do more unpaid household work than men. But the pandemic has only exacerbated this

burden. So women are caring for elderly relatives and children

and overseeing their children's educational needs while simultaneously having to meet the demands of

their jobs. And in sub-Saharan Africa, women are more often likely to be caregivers compared to other

regions. And about 60% of Africa's health workforce is female.

Women also are more likely than men to work in sectors that require face-to-face interactions,

...