Beyond sex and gender analysis: an intersectional view of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak and response

Policy brief produced by Prof Olena Hankivsky (Gender and Women's Health Unit, Centre for Health Equity, Melbourne School of Population and Health Equity, University of Melbourne) and Prof Anuj Kapilashrami (Centre for Global Public Health, Queen Mary University of London).

In this COVID-19 pandemic, emerging popular refrains like ‘we’re all in this together’ and ‘we will come through this together’ echo across media. But who is this ‘we’? While it’s true that the entire globe is being affected, health risks, burdens, experiences and outcomes aren’t the same for everyone. The outbreak has prompted calls to better understand its differential impacts. For example, UN General Secretary António Gutteres has appealed for consideration of women’s needs in combating COVID-19. Others have criticized the gender-neutral approach to pandemics in general, including the lack of gender expertise in pandemic planning, outbreak response and post-pandemic recovery.