Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/324420 
Year of Publication: 
2025
Series/Report no.: 
CeMPA Working Paper Series No. CeMPA WP 7/25
Publisher: 
University of Essex, Centre for Microsimulation and Policy Analysis (CeMPA), Colchester
Abstract: 
This study provides the first comparative analysis of how COVID-19 policy responses influenced gender income inequality across 28 European countries. Using a quasi-experimental approach that combines microsimulation and nowcasting techniques, we construct counterfactual scenarios to estimate the net effects of pandemic-related labor market shocks and government interventions on the incomes of women and men. By employing a gender-sensitive measure of disposable income, we address intra-household inequality often overlooked in distributional research. Our findings show that although both working age men and women experienced income losses in 2020, these were significantly mitigated by tax-benefit policies. Men, on average, benefitted more from furlough due to greater employment losses and higher pre-pandemic earnings, while women benefitted from the progressive design of other policy measures. On average, the ratio of women's to men's disposable incomes rose slightly, indicating a temporary narrowing of the gender income gap. These results highlight the equalizing role of expansive social protection during pandemic and underscore the importance of gender-aware policy analysis.
Subjects: 
gender inequality
income distribution
tax-benefit system
COVID-19
Europe
JEL: 
D13
D31
J16
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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