Strengthening gender measures and data in the COVID-19 era: An urgent need for change
COVID-19 may be gender blind, but it is not gender neutral. Emerging evidence shows tremendous gender disparities in the health and socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic, with a disproportionately negative impact on women’s livelihoods, unpaid care work burden, mental health, and subjection to gender-based violence, while our COVID-19 Sex-Disaggregated Data Tracker shows stark differences in outcomes along the clinical pathway in men and women.
However, a lack of gender data impedes our ability to measure, preempt, and respond. The need for improved gender data is urgent, and responsibility for its generation spans different data systems and collection mechanisms, organisations, and mandates.
Therefore, this brief calls on National Statistical Systems and survey managers, funders, multilateral agencies, researchers, and policymakers to take action across five key areas in order to accelerate work to improve the status, rights, and opportunities for all, and avoid the set-backs that a gender-blind recovery could result in.
Read the Executive Summary and full evidence review to learn about the action that must be taken:
The Brief has been produced in partnership with: Center on Gender Equity and Health, UCSD, Data2X, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Global Center for Gender Equality at Stanford University, Global Health 50/50, International Labor Organization, PARIS21, UN Women and World Bank.
