social protection for workers by ensuring access to social security for the unemployed through various funds and solidarity mechanisms.

A notable finding from this review of programs is the lack of national measures addressing barriers to accessing care and redistributing care work within households, including the promotion of the care economy, which disproportionately falls on women with lower levels of education. Existing programs, managed by the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), primarily focus on childcare and time release, without providing options for elderly care or complementary measures that facilitate the effective integration of caregivers into the care and labor sectors.

# **8. Conclusions**

The gender gap in labor markets presents a significant challenge, particularly impacting vulnerable women, and Colombia is no exception, with the pandemic exacerbating this issue. This study examines recent trends in Colombian labor outcomes within the context of COVID-19. Our focus is primarily on gender gaps in the labor market and the factors influencing them, particularly in sectors where women are more vulnerable, such as home care.

Utilizing data from the GEIH, decomposition methodologies, and probabilistic models, we find that the economic recovery observed in 2021 did not close the gender gaps, indicating underlying structural factors. Moreover, the pre-pandemic gender gaps in terms of participation and unemployment were intensified by the crisis. Interestingly, gender gaps in labor income and hours worked decreased during the crisis, but this was primarily driven by a significant decline in men's levels rather than improved conditions for women. Another contributing factor to women's slow recovery in the labor market is the moderate recovery of the informal sector in 2021, in which women have a significant presence. However, there are indications of a more favorable labor market recovery for women in 2022.

The analysis reveals that several factors disproportionately affect women and impact their probability of participating in the labor market. Having children in the household, low levels of schooling, and household income are among the key determinants. Women with children can experience a significant decline in the probability of labor market participation, up to 40 percentage points, whereas this remains unchanged for men. Women at the poverty line have a 22-percentage point difference compared to men, and among women with lower levels of education the gender gap widens. These gaps tend to narrow with fewer children, higher income, and higher education levels. Other factors such as age, rurality, and marital status also contribute to significant gaps between men and women, which widened during the pandemic without signs of recovery in 2021. Access to quality childcare appears to be a barrier for these groups.

Using the Oaxaca-Blinder approach for gap decomposition, the average hourly income gap decreased from 11% to 3% between 2017 and 2019, a level that remained in 2021. However, further analysis reveals that this result is a net outcome of two key factors: the explained gap, which favors women due to their endowments, primarily education level, and the unexplained gap,