COVID-19 may be gender blind, but it is not gender neutral. Emerging evidence shows tremendous gender disparities in the health and socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic, with a disproportionately negative impact on women’s livelihoods, unpaid care work burden, mental health, and subjection to gender-based violence. However, a lack of gender data impedes our ability to measure, preempt, and respond. Understanding the extent of these impacts is the first step toward reversing course. The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing gender data gaps—particularly around health, education, and economic opportunity—that undermine our ability to intentionally craft gender-responsive policies and programs. Filling these data gaps poses a significant challenge as many data collection efforts have been disrupted due to COVID-19 control measures, impacting everything from data production to subsequent data management, analysis, use, and communication.

There is no time to waste. Without addressing these gender data gaps and collection obstacles, we cannot fully understand or mitigate the gendered impacts of the pandemic. The collection and use of timely, quality gender data by all data sources, official or non-official, is critical to recognizing and addressing gender inequalities. More and better data is needed to identify the most urgent needs of populations that have been most harmed by the pandemic and to formulate gender-responsive policies to effectively spur an equitable recovery. By committing to increased gender data collection and use now, we can build a foundation that is better prepared for future shocks.