Evidence to Action

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented disruptions to EU economies and societies. An increasing body of evidence shows that the socioeconomic effects of the pandemic hit women particularly hard, and that the adverse consequences of the crisis will affect women more severely than men. The increase in gender inequalities that has resulted from the COVID-19 crisis points to the importance of placing gender equality at the heart of the EU policy response to mitigate the socioeconomic effects of the pandemic in both the short and the long terms. This study offers a unique gender assessment of the EU recovery response to the COVID-19 pandemic in both the short and the long terms.