Abstract

The swift widespread of the Covid-19 virus forced many governments to impose restrictions on movement early in 2020. The unique composition of the informal labor market leaves it vulnerable in face of economic shocks. The fragility of work conditions in the informal market and the absence of social insurance among its participants, left them fending to make ends meet. Paid domestic workers carry the double burden of engaging in the informal market while performing a job that is traditionally associated with women’s unpaid labor. The pandemic has hadunprecedented economic implications; uninsured, unprotected and out of the policy formulators’radar, paid domestic workers had little social security nets to fall on during this period. Egyptian paid domestic workers were exposed to the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic with little government protection leading to the intensification of the results. In order to understand the gravity of the situation, this qualitative research aims to examine the extent to which the COVID- 19 pandemic affected paid female domestic workers in the Egyptian informal labor market. Concluding that despite experiencing different work conditions, the pandemic had a devastating financial impact reflecting on all aspects of life including family dynamics, psychological wellbeing, and educational performance. The weak social policies barely cushioned the effect of the pandemic while offering informal workers the chance to find work opportunities.

School

School of Global Affairs and Public Policy

Department

Public Policy & Administration Department

Degree Name

MA in Public Policy

Graduation Date

Summer 6-15-2022

Submission Date

2-7-2022

First Advisor

Dr. Ghada Barsoum

Committee Member 1

Dr. Rana Hendy

Committee Member 2

Dr. Noura Wahby

Extent

110 p.

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval

Approval has been obtained for this item

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