The gender effects of COVID-19 are complex, and extend much beyond the issues of care work and domestic violence that have captured global attention. Some effects have been immediate, such as job losses, food shortages, and enhanced domestic work burdens; others will emerge in time, such as the depletion of savings and assets and pandemic-related widowhood, which would make recovery difficult. I use examples from India to outline the complexity of such outcomes, the limitations of the many telephone surveys conducted during the pandemic, and the importance of anticipating both the immediate and the sequential effects.

We can anticipate these effects by drawing on our knowledge of preexisting gender inequalities and people’s coping strategies under crises, as well as real-time media alerts. Prior conceptualization can help us design better surveys for capturing both the visible and less visible impact of the pandemic, as well as formulate more effective policies for mitigating the adverse effects. I also highlight the advantages of group-based approaches for protecting women’s livelihoods during such crises, and emphasize the need to create a synergy between feminist theory, evidence gathering, and policy formulation.

COVID-19对性别的影响是复杂的，远远超出了引起全球关注的护理工作和家庭暴力问题。一些影响是立竿见影的，例如失业，粮食短缺和家庭工作负担增加；其他问题将及时出现，例如储蓄和资产的枯竭以及与大流行有关的丧偶之身，这将使复苏变得困难。我以印度为例，概述了这种结果的复杂性，在大流行期间进行的许多电话调查的局限性以及预期直接和顺序影响的重要性。

我们可以利用我们对先前存在的性别不平等和人们在危机下的应对策略以及实时媒体警报的了解来预测这些影响。事先进行概念化可以帮助我们设计更好的调查，以捕获大流行的可见和较不明显的影响，以及制定更有效的政策来减轻不利影响。我还强调了基于群体的方法在此类危机期间保护妇女生计的优势，并强调有必要在女权主义理论，证据收集和政策制定之间建立协同作用。