HCP report: 21% of Moroccan Women Lived in Overcrowded Homes During Lockdown

The High Commission for Planning conducted a study on the economic, social and psychological impact of the Corona pandemic on Moroccan households, the study shows that 21 per cent of women expressed their suffering from crowded households during the lockdown, Compared to 16,4% of men.

In its econometric study on “gender-based analysis of the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economic, social and psychological situation of families,” the HCP added that data of the second phase of the research revealed that 18.7 per cent of the population suffered from overcrowding during the lockdown.

Economic analysis of the results of the study confirmed that when a woman is the head of the household, the possibility of psychological consequences increases. The anxiety is greater when women are the sole breadwinners of their families.

The same report highlighted that living in an urban area increases not only the possibility of suffering from psychological consequences, but also the possibility of facing quarrels among family members due to overcrowded houses which applies to the case of families in which there are 3 or more people living in one room.

The commission noted that these results are justified by the average population density, which is higher in the urban areas compared to the rural areas.

The report records that facing severe difficulties in fulfilling financial obligations is parallel to suffering from psychological impacts, which increases the level of anxiety and domestic conflicts.

On the other hand, the report added that the presence of conflicts within the family increases the suffering from the psychological repercussions, considering that these interconnected causes, confirm that women have suffered more than men from the Covid-19 pandemic effects.

In a related context, the results of the second phase of the report showed that women expressed their anxiety about the emergence of a new Covid-19 wave (36.8%), more than what was recorded among men (31.4%).

This report was based on the results of research carried out by the High Commission for Planning on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the economic, social and psychological situation of households, within the framework of a partnership program with the United Nations Women, aims to encourage and support institutions to produce and publish statistics related to gender, as well as to facilitate access to these statistic studies for all interested people in Morocco.

The report is based on information gathered from two studies conducted by the High Commission for Planning during and after the lockdown, to provide an analysis of the consequences of both the Covid-19 health crisis, and the various governmental measures taken to mitigate its effects. The report shows the severity of this crisis from a gender perspective, as well as praises the public policies that executed several positive measures.