Managing communications for the Gender and COVID-19 Project

Pamoja is managing the ongoing communications for the Gender and Covid-19 Project. In early February 2020 a small group of academics from public health, international relations, public policy, and development economics saw the need to better understand and address the gendered effects of COVID-19 and government responses to the outbreak, having previously examined the intersection between gender and health emergencies during Ebola, Zika, Cholera, and beyond. 

The Gender and COVID-19 Research Project conducts real time gender analysis to identify and document the gendered dynamics of the outbreak, preparedness and response measures. This real time analysis provides immediate policy guidance and recommendations for those delivering public health interventions. The impact of infectious disease outbreaks on individuals and communities does not fall evenly. Some people are affected more than others depending on gender. This differs between contexts and over time. The sex and gendered dynamics of COVID-19 are so far anecdotal. There is a need for more evidence to ensure an efficient and equitable response.  

The project began with the support of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research in Canada, China, Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. It has expanded to include Bangladesh, Kenya, Nigeria, Brazil, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This expansion has added a greater quantitative research focus to the project’s work, and they are conducting surveys to determine how the gendered effects of COVID-19 change over time, including during the recovery phase of the outbreak.

This research is complimented and supported by the Gender Working Group which is a community of practice of people working on gender and COVID-19.

https://www.genderandcovid-19.org/