Social protection is central in accelerating the attainment of the
Sustainable Development Goals and affirming the principle of
"leave no one behind" (Koehler, 2021). Global evidence shows
that social protection mechanisms can alleviate poverty, boost
the resilience of individuals against shocks, promote access to
basic services, foster economic recovery, and improve
household incomes (Devereux, 2001; Obare, 2021; Thakur,
Arnold, & Johnson, 2009). The COVID-19 pandemic has globally
increased women's socio-economic and health vulnerabilities
(O'Donnell, Buvinić, Bourgault, & Webster, 2021). Women
working in the informal sector in developing economies, such as
Kenya, are among the worst hit by the pandemic. These women
have experienced elevated poverty, food insecurity, job/income
loss, increased burden of unpaid care, and gender-based
violence during this period. This position paper highlights the
existing measures by the Government of Kenya (GoK) and
non-state actors to mitigate the socio-economic shocks to
vulnerable households. It identifies opportunities for enriching
the social protection mechanisms from a gendered lens and
suggests the need to widen the safety net for informal workers
through government-led social protection initiatives, as shown in
Table 1 below.
Funding
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
History
Publisher
International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)
Citation
ICRW (2022) Social Protection in Kenya: Disruptions and Opportunities for Women Working in the Informal Sector, Kampala, Uganda: International Center for Research on Women (ICRW)