The Socio-economic Impact of the COVID-19 Outbreak on Omani Women

Disease outbreaks affect women and men differently, and pandemics make existing inequalities for women and girls and discrimination of other marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities worse. Entrenched in this anchored concept, UNFPA GCC conducted a comprehensive needs-driven and women-centered study to analyze the current and potential impact of the pandemic on Omani women, and creating a linkage between these impacts and the related indicators of the SDGs. Furthermore, the study, which is part of the Oman’s United Nations Country Team (UNCT) response plan, provided insights into the current challenges facing female entrepreneurs in the country, women working in the healthcare sector and those with special needs, among others. The breakthrough study, which is considered the first of its kind in the GCC, provided recommendations for better coordination between the UNCT members, and the government partners to mitigate these impacts. It also offered several proposals for future analyses and policy briefs that have to be conducted in order to counter these challenges in a holistic approach.