The coronavirus (COVID-19) (coronavirus) pandemic has led to disruptions of both social and economic activities across the globe. While the early narrative described COVID-19 (coronavirus) as the “great equalizer,” asserting that the virus is capable of infecting anyone, it is critical for policymakers to understand that the impacts of COVID-19 (coronavirus) will not be the same for everyone. Experience from previous epidemics suggest that COVID-19 (coronavirus) will impact groups who are most vulnerable and amplify any existing inequalities across countries, communities, households and individuals. This note focuses on the existing gender inequalities in the economic sphere in Sub-Saharan Africa and summarizes how the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic could affect women and girls disproportionately. It draws on impact evaluation research to showcase policy options to help build women’s economic resilience and minimize any potential negative impacts during the pandemic and recovery.

Copley, Amy; Decker, Alison; Delavelle, Fannie; Goldstein, Markus; O’Sullivan, Michael; Papineni, Sreelakshmi. 2020. COVID-19 Pandemic Through a Gender Lens. Africa Knowledge in Time Policy Brief;. World Bank, Washington, DC.