Why the economic response to COVID-19 needs to be financially inclusive and gender sensitive

The Special Report highlights key gender-related issues facing society during the COVID-19 pandemic and some of the specific gender-sensitive financial inclusion responses that policymakers can undertake to ensure their mitigation and recovery activities are fully inclusive and work towards the network’s commitments in the Denarau Action Plan

Gender is a cross-cutting theme in all aspects of society. It is important to situate the wider context of how gender and financial inclusion intersect before we can look at the development of effective policy and regulation. The report presents a broader overview of the gendered nature of COVID-19 and how it disproportionately affects women and girls’ opportunities to be financially included. The report also expands on how women’s financial inclusion can be an enabler in both the mitigation and recovery phases. Finally, the report also presents five pillars or policy themes that can act as buckets for policymakers to focus on.