This brief – which is also a sign-on letter that is open to all – outlines how the Biden-Harris Transition Plan in the US can be made more gender-responsive.

The Biden-Harris Transition Plan is an important vision for change on COVID-19, economic recovery, racial equity, and climate change. It emphasizes the need for systemic change, instead of simply reconstructing and perpetuating economic, social, and health systems that have not been working for all Americans, nor for parts of the world directly and indirectly affected by American policies.

History shows us that ruptures in models of ‘business as usual’ can provide an opportunity for wide-scale reform “building back better”. Through our work, we have found that times of crisis provide opportunities to develop new systems and institutions that take gender and inequity into account. The only path to sustainably building back better is one that addresses structural and systemic gender inequalities.

The pandemic has already shown that we are able to adapt and embrace different ways of working, and that when push comes to shove, we should be able to make institutional change work for those who have historically been left behind.

This brief is a starting point in highlighting the potential within the Biden-Harris Transition Plan for work on gender equity, using the economic recovery plan as an entry point. It is based on a recently published overview of best practices for feminist economic recovery from COVID-19.

By its very nature, the Biden-Harris Transition plan looks inwardly and is focused on the national level. We would like it to also consider the global implications of this transition a priority. We are pleased that the Administration will immediately restore the U.S. relationship with the World Health Organization. However, it can and should go further.

Solomon A, Morgan R, Wenham C, Smith J, Nacif Pimenta D, Mueller V, Herten-Crabb A and Hawkins K (2020) Making the Biden-Harris Transition Plan for COVID-19 gender-responsive, Gender and COVID-19 project