Right On – COVID-19 and women: the gendered impact of the crisis

It has become clear in recent weeks that this pandemic and the concurrent economic crisis is impacting women differently than men. 

Women, who already shoulder a disproportionate share of unpaid care work, have come under even more pressure as schools and daycares have closed. Many are also at an increased risk of exposure to the virus, since they work on the frontlines of our global effort against the pandemic, providing essential medical and other services. In the future, they are also more likely to be disproportionately affected by the economic shocks that will follow the pandemic, as they represent a higher percentage of persons in precarious, informal, or poorly paid work. 

Additionally, the current lockdown orders, which are in place in a majority of the world’s States is likely to exacerbate the incidences of domestic violence at a time when shelters are closing and women can’t leave their homes. 

Our Wednesday ‘Right On’ web chat will highlight key women’s rights concerns during the pandemic, and look to develop recommendations for how governments can mitigate the negative impact of their crisis policies on women. Finally, the discussion will aim to identify opportunities to ‘build back better’ from the crisis and re-energise progress towards Sustainable Development Goal 5 and gender equality. 

Join our discussion on Wednesday, 29th April at 1pm UTC (3 pm CEST).