Explainer
How COVID-19 impacts women and girls

In a nutshell

A profound shock to our societies and economies, the COVID-19 pandemic underscores society’s reliance on women both on the front line and at home, while simultaneously exposing structural inequalities across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection. In times of crisis, when resources are strained and institutional capacity is limited, women and girls face disproportionate impacts with far reaching consequences that are only further amplified in contexts of fragility, conflict, and emergencies. Hard-fought gains for women’s rights are also under threat. Responding to the pandemic is not just about rectifying long-standing inequalities, but also about building a resilient world in the interest of everyone with women at the centre of recovery. Explore these varied impacts below and take a quiz to test your knowledge. For more information on this topic, visit UN Women's dedicated web page featuring news, resources and more, and learn about our response.

Explore the impacts

Click on the topic below to learn more.

Violence against women

Domestic violence

Health care workers

Women's health

Economic shocks

Unpaid work

Young women & girls

Conflict

Migrants

Quiz yourself





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Page last updated 17 March 2021. Content available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO license.