Covid 19 – why gender matters

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This blog, written by Caroline Harper, Carmen Leon-Himmelstine and Rachel George, will be updated over the next two weeks. Public headlines on the Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted common imperatives: immediately, the capacity of health provision and addressing economic impacts. Secondly, concerns about political leadership, education, food security and the practicalities of social distancing, to name just a few. The authors argue that there are gender dimensions to every aspect of this pandemic, and that gender justice…

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Call to Action: Now and the Future, COVID-19 and Gender Equality, Global Peace and Security

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This paper addresses the deeply gendered impact of COVID-19. The outbreak of COVID-19 has led to over a million confirmed cases, and tens of hundreds of deaths worldwide so far. As we see global responses to COVID-19, GAPS’s position is that a rights-based approach and gender- conflict analysis must be at the centre of any global response and recovery. This must assess not only the virus’s disproportionate impact on people, communities and countries based on their…

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Lessons Never Learned: Crisis and gender‐based violence

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The COVID‐19 pandemic exposes underlying inequalities in our socio‐economic and health systems, such as gender‐based violence (GBV). In emergencies, particularly ones that involve quarantine, GBV often increases. Policymakers must utilize community expertise, technology and existing global guidelines to disrupt these trends in the early stages of the COVID‐19 epidemic. Gender norms and roles relegating women to the realm of care work puts them on the frontlines in an epidemic, while often excluding them from developing…

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How to Make Women Count in the Response to Coronavirus: Lessons from the Women, Peace and Security agenda show the importance of women’s inclusion in the fight against COVID-19.

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As health organizations and national governments seek to stem the spread of COVID-19, it is critical that they understand the gender dynamics in their societies. Efforts to combat the pandemic will only go so far if women and girls are left behind in the process. For example, how can a woman experiencing domestic violence quarantine at home safely? Thankfully, global efforts to integrate women as equal partners in peace and security can provide key lessons…

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Identifying & Mitigating Gender-based Violence Risks within the COVID-19 Response

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The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present an array of challenges, forcing nearly all types of basic service delivery – including, but not limited to, humanitarian response – to drastically adapt. Given how quickly the outbreak continues to evolve; the variation across contexts in the impact of the disease and the measures being implemented to control its spread; and the lack of documented good practice for delivering aid and services under such conditions, to a large…

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Global Rapid Gender Analysis for COVID-19

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This Rapid Gender Analysis of the COVID-19 pandemic, based on secondary data analysis undertaken between 12-20 March 2020, explores the current and potential gendered dimensions of COVID-19 and highlights the ways in which women, girls and other marginalised people are likely to suffer from the pandemic.   Download

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Why we need gender perspectives in our global solutions to COVID-19

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COVID-19 is indiscriminate. It has made us aware that regardless of race, sex, religion and status, we are all vulnerable to contracting the virus. Governments and populations are taking precautions to protect populations with higher fatality rates. Although containing the virus is the key priority, measures should be considered on how to combat the ways in which COVID-19 is likely to aggravate the already existing social political and economic inequalities in society. In this article,…

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Women and COVID-19: Five things governments can do now

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Governments the world over are struggling to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. While some voices have flagged the impacts on women, gender concerns are not yet shaping the decisions that mainly male leaders are making. At the same time, many of the impacts of COVID-19 are hitting women hardest. In this article, UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director Anita Bhatia explains why women are impacted most by COVID-19 and provides five actions governments can take to address…

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Media, remember gender in your COVID-19 coverage

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Media always have a strong obligation to offer the public professionally produced content and reliable information. Following the current global crisis caused by the Corona virus, Emma Boberg Lygnerud, IMS Global Response Department Gender Adviser, encourages media to make it more of a priority to provide a diverse, balanced and gender sensitive coverage. This article addresses coverage dilemmas arising due to the pandemic and provides recommendations for journalists on how to strengthen gender sensitivity in…

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How to stop Coronavirus Lockdown Leading to an Upsurge in Violence Against Women

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In this blog post, Mwanahamisi Singano argues that with everyone locked down due to Covid-19, gender-based violence could rise to unprecedented levels, because homes are often not a safe place for women. She points out necessary measures to be taken to minimise this risk. Read more

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