An opportunity for gender transformation? UN Women’s policy response to COVID-19

Pandemics disproportionately affect women due to their dominant roles in healthcare, caregiving, and industries vulnerable to public health policies. Women face higher infection risks, greater unpaid care burdens, and job losses during crises. Violence against women and disrupted access to healthcare, including sexual and reproductive services, also increase. Despite clear evidence of these effects, global pandemic responses have historically been gender-blind, with only limited improvements during COVID-19. This study uses the READ approach to analyze UN Women COVID-19 policy documents published in 2020, examining recommendations related to socio-economic security, violence against women and girls (VAWG), and people living across borders. From these documents we also analyzed 301recommendations using the WHO’s Gender Responsive Scale to assess their transformative potential. The results show that while UN Women addressed key gendered impacts, the recommendations often stopped short of promoting systemic change, reflecting broader limitations in global health responses. The findings highlight the gap between acknowledging gender disparities and promoting (let alone implementing) transformative policies that address structural inequalities. This research contributes to ongoing debates on the role of global institutions in advancing gender-responsive pandemic policies and calls for more meaningful engagement in addressing gender inequities in global health governance.