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Coronavirus pandemic
OpinionComment
Vanessa Lau
Vanessa Lau

Opinion | To build back better from the Covid-19 pandemic, build back with women

  • New ideas and ways of leadership are needed to overcome the crisis, and many of the countries that have done a good job managing the pandemic are led by women
  • These skills are badly needed in international business, as companies come to grips with their broader responsibilities to the community

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A woman wearing a mask walks past a electronic display of the Hang Seng Index in Central. Women must be a key driver for economic recovery. Photo: Edmond So
Vanessa Lau

The widespread economic and social damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic has both revealed and worsened gender inequality. However, the past year has also opened many minds to new ideas and opportunities like never before.

One of these is the way we look at the power of gender diversity in our workplaces, businesses and communities. To rebuild our economies faster and better in the post-Covid world, we need to embrace a more diverse and inclusive culture and environment, which will help us create a more equitable and sustainable future for the benefit of all.

Research shows that while Covid-19 may be more lethal for men, women are the ones taking the bigger socio-economic hit. Global statistics suggest that women are disproportionately affected because they are most exposed to health and economic risks.
In some countries, they make up the majority of frontline workers in health care and service industries, and they are over-represented in informal, casual employment, where benefits and protections are lacking. Women also carry more than their share of domestic responsibilities, including childcare, complicating their employment and work-from-home arrangements.

But women are also a key driver for post-Covid recovery. The dynamics of business, and the social contract companies have with their communities, have changed. Succeeding in this altered environment requires new ideas and ways of leadership, and innovative strategies. Women have long been under-represented in business leadership, now is the time to change. 

02:40

Indian women’s employment hit hard as India’s coronavirus caseload tops 10 million

Indian women’s employment hit hard as India’s coronavirus caseload tops 10 million

UN Women executive director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka is asking governments and the private sector to proactively build gender expertise into Covid-19 response teams and embed gender dimensions within recovery plans. I reiterate that call, and specifically so for corporations and exchange operators. 

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