The world is tragically suffering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Caught unprepared, more than 188 countries are impacted, confirmed cases almost reaching 5,326,230 and more than 330,000 people losing their lives at the time of this write-up. Pakistan now has a reported 50,830 cases and 1,101 fatalities as of 23rd May, 2020 with numbers spiraling as testing capacity expands and markets teemed with customers as the nationwide lockdown restrictions eased. Mandatory quarantines, country lockdowns, and mobility restrictions have all become part of our lives as we try to “stay-in” and “stay-alive.” Disease outbreaks affect women and men differently, and pandemics make existing inequalities for women and girls and discrimination of other marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities and those in extreme poverty, worse. This needs to be considered, given the different impacts surrounding detection and access to treatment for women and men. Women represent 70 percent of the health and social sector workforce globally. Evidence suggests that in case of outbreak of disease, there is an additional burden of domestic work and disease prevention that falls on women. Women are therefore more likely to be exposed to the virus and continue with their domestic responsibilities even if they fall ill. The responsibility of women in prevention and care of disease extends outside the household as well. In Pakistan, only 55% of the women have access to adequate healthcare, and only 34% have reported consulting a doctor or a medical professional for health-related problems – providing evidence that women are less likely to seek and receive medical attention. Hindered mobility because of sporadic transport availability may result in women not receiving timely care for COVID-19. This could lead to serious complications in elderly women and those with weakened immune systems; many of which are spread across Pakistan. In Pakistan, a large majority of nurses and health workers are female. These women are at the forefront of identifying and treating patients with COVID-19, and hence at a greater risk of exposure to the infection. The COVID-19 pandemic has swept worldwide and brought along significant disruptions to the livelihood of households, individuals and communities, irrespective of gender. While the experiences and actions of both men and women vary in response to the Corona virus, a consistent factor has been the drastically increased burden of responsibilities experienced across the spectrum. Women, especially in developing countries, are more likely to face adverse economic impacts during the pandemic. From an economic perspective, low-paid, young, working-class women are known to be hit the hardest. The gender pay gap compounds this inequality – not only are women losing jobs at higher rates, but they were making less money to begin with. Millions have lost their jobs and incomes during the COVID-19 crisis, many of them women who are already hit by existing inequalities like unequal pay and less access to financial services. An analysis on Home-based Workers (HBWs) in Pakistan shows that there are currently 12 million HBWs who earn around Rs. 3000-4000/months and will face multidimensional issues such as low income security, absence of social protection and highest economic vulnerability in times of COVID-19. The post-Covid-19 transformation will most likely generate a higher demand for more digitally-related jobs and skills. This means that the “digital divide” has the potential to become an even greater source of inequality. Those groups able to develop and activate the necessary digital skills will succeed and those groups who don’t will suffer. As a group, women fall under this second category — those lacking digital access and skills. On average women use and access digital technology less often than men: for example, the proportion of women using the internet was 48% in 2019 against 58% of men globally (according to data from the International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency). There are gross imbalances in the gender distribution of unpaid care work. Before COVID-19 became a universal pandemic, women were doing three times as much unpaid care and domestic work as men. In the context of the pandemic, the increased demand for care work is deepening already existing inequalities in the gender division of labor. The less visible parts of the care economy are coming under increasing strain but remain unaccounted for in the economic response. In Pakistan, norms dictate that women and girls are the main caretakers of the household. This can mean giving up work to care for children out of school and/or sick household members, impacting their levels of income and heightening exposure to the virus. It is estimated that with the current lockdown situation the workload of household chores on women and girls will increase substantially and will further shrink their time dedicated for learning and skills development. This will have serious impediments on the efforts of women empowerment which will not only be seen in the short run but also in medium and long run. Reports of domestic violence, too, have surged as a result of the pandemic. United Nations Secretary General António Guterres issued a statement encouraging governments to put women’s safety first as they respond to COVID-19. His appeal came after domestic violence hotlines around the globe report a precipitous rise in calls following lockdown orders. Domestic violence normally happens in the home. Crowded homes, substance abuse, limited access to services and reduced peer support are exacerbating these conditions. Data shows that domestic violence is increasing drastically during the COVID-19 crisis, likely worsened by quarantines and limited mobility that isolate women with their abusers. Pandemics add an extra layer to existing inequalities in society, making the lives of women and girls harder. Now it is time to revisit the famous feminist slogan of the ’60s and “politicize the personal” In times of crisis such as an outbreak, women and girls may be at higher risk of intimate partner violence and other forms of domestic violence due to increased tensions in the household. Given the current climate of decreased economic activities, financial uncertainties and a situation of lockdown being faced in Pakistan, heightened tensions could translate into women facing more vulnerability. The education system in Pakistan with low learning levels and high dropout rates is likely to be severely impacted because of the COVID-19. Within the system, it is the vulnerable students, including girls who face the most disproportionately negative impacts. Given mobility constraints, when schools are closed, girls are generally given more household responsibilities as compared to boys. Prolonged closure could exacerbate the inequalities in educational attainment as this will result in higher rates of female absenteeism and lower rates of school completion. As the schools open a lot of girls will find it difficult to balance schoolwork and increased domestic responsibilities. Lastly, the global pandemic has led to a significant increase in restrictions on the freedom of movement of people worldwide. This has led to an adverse impact on civic space and the ability of communities and individuals to exercise their right to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression. Women leaders and activists continue to bear the brunt of harassment and attacks both on and offline. The prospects of a long-term global recession raise serious concerns over how these protection gaps and human rights restrictions will be addressed. While the crisis responses and public policy measures globally are focused on curbing the spread of COVID-19, we need an urgent consideration of the gendered implications of this crisis. We need to adopt a gender equity lens in our public policy responses to mitigate the pressing health and safety risks for half of our population. Given that the COVID-19 crisis affects men and women in different ways, measures to resolve it must take gender into account. The world must put a gender lens on the response to COVID-19, to ensure the unique needs of girls and women are addressed, and their unique expertise is leveraged. All policies, programs and investments, including stimulus and recovery packages, must be designed with a gender lens, so they don’t overlook or have unintended consequences for girls, women and gender equality. Decision-makers must examine gender-based differences in health expenditures, disease detection and response, emergency preparedness, research and development and the health workforce. Policies and programs can be revamped to empower women and girls to attain the necessary tools and to remove barriers that inhibit their full participation in a new digital world that is unfolding. Every COVID-19 response plan and every recovery package and budgeting of resources, needs to address the gender impacts of this pandemic. As systems that protect women and girls, including community structures, may weaken or break down, specific measures should be implemented to protect women and girls from the risk of intimate partner violence with the changing dynamics of risk imposed by COVID-19. Governments must ensure that school closures do not result in even more children, particularly girls, not enrolling or coming back to school. The Government needs to rapidly communicate and assure that women and children have protection and support from the state during these challenging times. Pandemics add an extra layer to existing inequalities in society, making the lives of women and girls harder. Now it is time to revisit the famous feminist slogan of the ’60s and “politicize the personal.” For too long, excuses for not using a gender lens during health emergencies have impeded the responses we most need. To protect us all, this time must be different. We can emerge from this pandemic as a stronger and better society. We can do this by holding fast to a vision of a brighter future but only if we meet the needs of the marginalized and most vulnerable members of our communities first. The writer is a Civil Servant from the 47th CTP. He is currently serving as a Section Officer (UT). He holds an M.Phil degree in Sociology and is also a visiting faculty member at Civil Officers Academy