The gender dimension of COVID-19

This chapter investigates the gender dimension of COVID-19 in Italy. I will analyze both the risks and the opportunities that COVID-19 represents for women and gender equality, by exploring how COVID-19 is affecting the labor market and the family, what are the challenges ahead and what are the short-run and long-run expected effects. In times of emergencies, the decision-making process becomes particularly difficult and important. The best leaders are asked (or should be asked) to contribute. This means, of course, men and women. Countries led by women (Denmark, Iceland, Finland, Germany, Norway, New Zealand, Taiwan) have turned out to be equipped with the best strategies to deal with the COVID-19 emergency. Obviously, this simple correlation does not say anything about the causal impact of women on the outcomes. Yet it is a striking correlation. There are several factors behind women being such good leaders during COVID-19. Therefore, we can conclude that keeping women outside or on the sidelines of the decision-making process is clearly an unsuccessful strategy, even more so than in other circumstances.