Off the back burner: Diverse and gender-inclusive decision-making for COVID-19 response and recovery

Epidemics function as a gendered vulnera-bility, and yet gender remains an afterthought in health security and pandemic response, including to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).1 Emerging data indicate that COVID-19 mortality is greater among men, but past experiences suggest that the socio-economic impact of epidemics tends to be far greater for women. As a result, it is essen-tial to assess the intersectional and gendered vulnerabilities in health emergencies. In addition, given the gender- skewed landscape of power and decision- making in global health, it is also critical to outline women’s leadership and role in such contexts.

Bali, Sulzhan & Dhatt, Roopa & Lal, Arush & Mahmud, Amina & van Daalen, Kim & Sridhar, Devi. (2020). Off the back burner: Diverse and gender-inclusive decision-making for COVID-19 response and recovery. BMJ Global Health. 5. e002595. 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-002595.