In its latest report entitled “Austerity: also a gender issue” Oxfam alerted the humanitarian organization to the situation of women who are doubly affected in services, social protection and infrastructure.

“Austerity is not only a gendered policy; it is also a gendered process in its daily lives, the way it permeates women's daily lives in particular: in their income, their care responsibilities, their ability to access services as essential as health, the water and transport, as well as in their general safety and the absence of physical violence against them at home, at work and on the streets,” said Amina Hersi, a Somali entrepreneur.

According to the report published by Oxfam, women are affected by cuts in services, social protection and infrastructure directly, as a result of inflation and job losses, and then indirectly, as they act as “shock absorbers” in society. “They are expected to survive and take care of everyone when the state withdraws,” the report states.