Men outnumber women three to one on COVID-19 task forces

NEW YORK - Men outnumber women three to one on government coronavirus task forces globally, a disparity that risks creating an unequal recovery, the United Nations warned on Monday.

Women made up just 24% of representatives on task forces set up to manage the recovery in 137 countries examined in a study by the U.N. and the University of Pittsburgh's Gender Inequality Research Lab. Of the 225 task forces, 26 had no women at all. Multiple studies have found that the pandemic disproportionately impacts women, who have taken on a larger burden of childcare with schools closed and been more likely to suffer job losses, while domestic violence has also risen.