The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted many lives across the globe. In this blog we focus on women. Worldwide, the pandemic has hit women harder than men. Women run a higher risk of COVID-19 contagion due to their occupations in health-related activities. They are also overrepresented in jobs where social distancing has been more difficult and where layoffs have been more common. Many women have had to interrupt their work for care-taking reasons. Moreover, women are often employed in micro and small enterprises with lower pay and weaker legal and social protection, and in informal activities where the situation is even more precarious. These factors have made the choice to leave the workforce much easier.