From insight to action: Gender equality in the wake of COVID-19

The impacts of crises are never gender neutral, and COVID-19 is no exception. While men reportedly have a higher fatality rate, women and girls are especially hurt by the resulting economic and social fallout. Impacts on women and girls have worsened across the board. Women are losing their livelihoods faster because they are more exposed to hard-hit economic sectors. According to a new analysis commissioned by UN Women and UNDP, by 2021 around 435 million women and girls will be living on less than $1.90 a day — including 47 million pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19.

The impacts are not just economic. The shift of funds to pandemic response is hampering women’s access to sexual and reproductive health. Violence against women reports have increased around the world, as widespread stay-athome orders force women to shelter in place with their abusers, often with tragic consequences. More people at home also means that the burden of unpaid care and domestic work has increased for women and girls, literally driving some to the breaking point. Women and girls in communities already reeling from institutionalized poverty, racism and other forms of discrimination are particularly at risk: They face higher rates of COVID-19 transmission and fatalities and are most exposed to the secondary impacts, including loss of earnings and livelihood.