Manual or Guideline

COVID-19 and Gender Equality: Six Actions for the Private Sector

November 11, 2020

This guidance note seeks to inform private sector companies about how to recover resiliently and inclusively from the effects of COVID-19, while considering the gender gap between women and men in their companies' operations.

The publication recommends six actions the private sector can implement to ensure that both women and men can return to economic activities during and after the pandemic, and participate equally as leaders, employees, business owners, and consumers. These recommendations are based on data collected from IFC surveys and interviews conducted with a total of 715 companies in the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia, and East Asia Pacific; the World Bank’s COVID-19 surveys; and research from other leading organizations.

To help businesses put each recommendation into practice, relevant company examples have been included in this guidance note, and additional resources provided.