Gender Activism, Politics, and Intersectionality in the Era of COVID-19

On 22 June at 18:00 (GMT+8) the UNU International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH), the UNU Gender and Health Hub, and the Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health will co-host the online event Gender Activism, Politics, and Intersectionality in the Era of COVID-19 with Professor Fran Baum.

COVID-19 has highlighted and worsened intersectional inequities that existed before the pandemic ranging from gender, class, and race, to caste, disability and sexuality. There is a need for effective policy responses that are sensitive to this intersectionality so that some groups, do not fall through the cracks

Care for people with disabilities — who have been at higher risk of infection and death during the pandemic —  has been put under significant stress. In addition, the majority of the social care workforce are women, often employed on contracts without access to paid leave and with low wages. Despite being essential workers they often experienced financial hardship and were exposed to occupational risks from COVID-19.

Gender activists in many countries around the world have responded to COVID-19 and demanded better responses from governments. Government responses have varied but in some countries the pandemic has been used by governments to crack down on dissent and responses have been militarised. The space for civil society action appears to be narrowing since the pandemic started. Yet nearly all social and economic reforms have their origins in civil society movements.

This event will examine how gender activists responded to the pressure of COVID-19 and government interventions, against a backdrop of the politicisation of gender-related issues and increasing recognition of the importance of intersectionalities.

The event will also be live-streamed on:

• YouTube: Gender activism, politics, and intersectionality, in the era of COVID-19
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/genderandhealth
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/genderhealthhub

For event updates, visit the UNU-IIGH website.

For more information on the Lancet Commission on Gender and Global Health, visit: https://genderandhealthcommission.org/

For more information on the Gender and Health Hub, visit: genderhealthhub.org