COVID-19: Why Policymakers Need a Gender-focused Approach for Health and Economic Recovery

Apr 2, 2020 | Julia Arnold, Elizabeth Anderson, Smriti Rao, and Sarah Gammage
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As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to engulf the world, questions of post-disaster recovery must be at the forefront of the conversation. We’re still far from understanding the full impact from the spread of the novel coronavirus in developing countries, but international health and economic crises have taught us that although they disproportionately burden women, policymakers seldom prioritize gender-based implications during recovery. Now is the time for development advocates to push for governments and policymakers to ensure it’s different this time - and to address gendered inequalities that could both enhance well-being, such as universal healthcare and social protection, and help economies become more resilient to future crises.

Based on the evidence thus far, the global pandemic has the potential to deal a one-two punch: a major global health crisis and a global economic crisis that will persist well after the slowing down of the immediate health emergency. While these shocks affect everyone, women - who comprise 1.5 billion of the world’s low-wage workers and twice as many of its carers - may be particularly vulnerable to the economic and health crises that unfold in the wake of COVID-19.

Gender roles and norms determine men’s and women’s caregiving duties, mobility, livelihoods, and access to economic opportunities and education. Women the world over are subject to these norms, but for our low-income neighbors, particularly in developing country contexts, these roles place them at higher risk.