The year 2020, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, was intended
to be ground-breaking for gender equality. Instead, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, even
the limited gains made over the last decades are at risk of being rolled back. The pandemic is
widening existing gaps, exposing social , political and economical structures to vulnerabilities, which
in turn increase the effect of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold human misery
and is expected to worsen gender-based inequality around the world. When economic activity
ceases, women who are at a disadvantage in obtaining decent jobs will suffer the most. Moreover,
health pandemics will make it more difficult for women and girls to access treatment and health
care. There is also growing concern that violence against women and girls is escalating as women
with abusive relationships find themselves separated from the people and services that can support
them. Human misery
Compounded economic impacts, especially on women and girls who generally earn less,
save less, and maintain job insecurity or live close to poverty, are generally adversely affected by the
reallocation of resources and priorities, including sexual and reproductive health. Unpaid care work
has grown, with out-of-school children, grown care needs for older people and overcrowded health
systems. Gender-biased-violence is rising exponentially. Many women are being forced to "lock" their
abusers at home at the same time that survivor support services are being disrupted or made
inaccessible.
The year 2020, marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, was intended to
be ground-breaking for gender equality. Instead, with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, even the
limited gains made over the last decades are at risk of being rolled back. The pandemic is widening
existing gaps, exposing social , political and economical structures to vulnerabilities, which in turn
increase the effect of the pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing untold human misery and is
expected to worsen gender-based inequality around the world. When economic activity ceases, women
who are at a disadvantage in obtaining decent jobs will suffer the most. Moreover, health pandemics will
make it more difficult for women and girls to access treatment and health care. There is also growing
concern that violence against women and girls is escalating as women with abusive relationships find
themselves separated from the people and services that can support them.
Compounded economic impacts, especially on women and girls who
generally earn less, save less, and maintain job insecurity or live close
to poverty, are generally adversely affected by the reallocation of
resources and priorities, including sexual and reproductive health.
Unpaid care work has grown, with out-of-school children, grown care
needs for older people and overcrowded health systems.
Gender-biased-violence is rising exponentially. Many women are
being forced to "lock" their abusers at home at the same time that
survivor support services are being disrupted or made inaccessible.