Intended for healthcare professionals

Gender equality and pandemic response

No aspect of covid-19 was gender neutral. From sex differences in exposure, infection, illness, hospital admission, and death, to the gendered burdens of caregiving, home schooling, interpersonal violence, and professional loss, the pandemic preyed on and worsened inequities between men and women. By early 2023 it had become clear that progress in global development and gender equality had been lost. Worse, recovery from covid-19 is emerging alongside global polycrises to do with economic uncertainty, political instability, war, and the climate emergency. How can healthy, equitable, and inclusive pandemic and crisis response be optimised?

A BMJ collection of articles, produced by a collaborative effort led by the United Nations University’s International Institute for Global Health, Malaysia, and the School of Public Health at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, and supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, lays out a shared global research agenda on sex differences and gender equality priorities for the covid-19 response and beyond. Drawing on their intersectional feminist model of research and stakeholder engagement, the authors identify thematic and unmet research needs to support crisis response with a forward looking view to strengthen the integration of sex based differences and gender inequalities in country, regional, and global health research efforts.

The collection provides instructive insights on how a collaborative feminist and decolonial approach can be used to develop the shared global research agenda, including crowdsourcing, use of digital platforms for engagement, inclusive conversations and leadership, and open consensus building. We hope the collection can inform future research investments to shift the power balance towards more inclusive knowledge production and ultimately address intersecting needs and determinants in global health research, especially in times of crisis.


Editorial

No pandemic preparedness and research without gender equality
Jocalyn Clark, Asha George and Rajat Khosla introduce The BMJ Collection on sex differences and gender equality priorities for pandemic response

Invest in youth led efforts for gender equality and pandemic preparedness
Young leaders are critical for research, programme design, and advocacy, say Merette Khalil, Cyubahiro Karangwa Verite, and Shakira Choonara

Analysis

Acting on sex and gender in medical innovation is good for business
Lavanya Vijayasingham and colleagues argue that as well as improving safety and efficacy, considering sex and gender related factors in medical research can have commercial benefits.

African governments must build on covid-19 responses and invest further in advancing and sustaining gender equality
Kéfilath Bello and colleagues argue that developing sustainable strategies to increase gender equality will help African countries respond to future crises.

Using an intersectionality approach to transform health services for overlooked healthcare users and workers after covid-19
Intersectional analysis and action are needed in future pandemics to ensure more inclusive health services, say Mamothena Mothupi and colleagues.

Research

A shared agenda for gender and covid-19 research: priorities based on broadening engagement in science.
Asha George and colleagues lay out a research agenda on sex differences and gender equality priorities to advance gender justice across health and social policy and programmes.


The collection was developed in partnership with the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health and the School of Public Health at the University of the Western Cape. The BMJ commissioned, peer reviewed, edited, and made the decision to publish these articles. Article handling fees were funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The lead editors were Rachael Hinton, Paul Simpson, and Jocalyn Clark for The BMJ.

Learn more about the collection’s research agenda setting process at the Gender & Health Hub.

This week's poll