Gendered Pandemic Impacts on Informal Food Vending in Kingston, Jamaica

This paper examines the gendered impacts of COVID-19 on informal food vendors in Kingston, Jamaica, using a feminist political economy framework. Drawing on a mixed-methods design, the study analyses survey data collected between March and September 2025 from 786 women and 152 men who own informal food businesses. The paper examines how pandemic containment measures such as curfews, restricted market hours, and mobility controls affected business profitability, operations, and coping strategies. Although women dominate the informal food vending sector and reported increased unpaid care responsibilities during the pandemic, male vendors were significantly more likely to report severe declines in profits, reduced sales, and broader business disruption. Both experienced sharp contractions in demand, indicative of a demand-side shock within Jamaica’s urban food system. At the same time, women demonstrated greater adaptive capacity, reporting significantly higher use of coping strategies, including negotiating with suppliers and adopting digital tools. The paper argues for gender-responsive disaster risk management policies, including improved vendor registration, targeted social protection mechanisms, and support for adaptive capacity in the informal food economy.