The impact of COVID-19 on global gender gap

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a dramatic impact on the global gender gap as measured by the World Economic Forum: its 2021 report shows that on current trends, the gap would "take 135.6 years to reach parity, up from about 100 years before the crisis hit": https://www.cnbc.com/.../wef-covid-worsened-the-gender....

I spoke about the impact of the pandemic on women and girls at a recent ConnectAID online event. Sexual and reproductive health services were disrupted in more than one-third of countries surveyed by the World Health Organization (WHO), millions of girls will never return to school after lockdowns have impoverished their families, and rates of gender-based violence soared.

It will take determined advocacy and much investment to reverse these alarming trends which are exacerbating gender inequality. Governments and development partners will need to step up fast.