Lessons Learned From The Pandemic: Impacts Of Accelerating Digitalization On Gender Equality In France Lecciones aprendidas de la pandemia: repercusiones de la aceleración de la digitalización en la igualdad de género en Francia En Es

Résumé En

This paper is based on six expert interviews bringing different perspectives, on surveys as COCONEL, TRACOV, and EPICOV, on the research based on them, and on governmental and NGOs reports. From this material, we have identified three different impacts of accelerating digitalization during the pandemic, with specific research questions and challenges for gender equality. 1. Questions around teleworking: what risks and opportunities? It creates more flexibility but it also makes possible the return of patriarchal norms, when working outside had been an opportunity for emancipation. Surveys show that men were the first ones to come back to the office and that teleworking women are at risk of being out of sight and out of mind when considering promotions and recognition. 2. Questions around the replacement of persons by robots or e-commerce platforms: increasing intersecting inequalities? The development of platforms and robots to replace cashiers puts thousands of female jobs at risk and creates precarious male jobs in delivery and security. It also excludes underprivileged groups with no access to digital tools. What are the impacts of those changes on intersecting inequalities? 3. Questions around the long-term economic impact of the massive investment of stimulus packages in the digital sector: how to fight the risk of increasing gender inequalities when investing massively in sectors where women are very few and raise less money? The paper will explore those three challenging issues and suggest possible research and gender equality measures to counter this threat to gender equality.