Stressed and Underserved: African Women and the Weight of the COVID-19-Induced Financial Worry - Volume 16 | Issue 1

The COVID-19 pandemic sparked a global crisis like no other, leaving behind severe economic strain and emotional stress. Nowhere were these impacts more acute than in Africa, where they laid bare long-standing structural challenges and the absence of strong safety nets to protect people from such shocks. With over 85% of employment being informal and more than 431 million people—approximately one-third of the population—living below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day, the pandemic exposed and deepened long-standing socioeconomic challenges.