BRIDGINGTHE GAP
Emerging Private Sector Response andRecovery Measures for Gender Equality
amid COVID-19

Foreword

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has delivered a significant shockto the global economy, provoking deep recessions in many countries and taking an enormous toll on millions of people’s lives andlivelihoods. The pandemic is hitting women particularly hard, exacerbating risks and threatening decades of gains on gender equality.
Women’s COVID-19 experience is shaped by rising domestic andworkplace violence, higher care responsibilities, precariousness ofjobs and a disproportionate lack of access to working capital anddigital tools such as mobile phones.
International Finance Corporation (IFC) is working with its clientsand investors around the world to respond to the crisis, preventthe gender gap from widening, and strengthen women’s participation in the private sector as corporate leaders, employees, entrepreneurs, consumers, and stakeholders.
To better understand and document private sector efforts toaddress gender gaps during COVID-19, IFC and UN Women conducted a survey to collect examples of innovative measures thatcompanies have taken to support women’s empowerment amid
COVID-19 in six areas: well- being and mental health; flexibility andfamily-friendly policies; equal access and use of digital technologies
and platforms; equal access to financial and non-financial services;
inclusive supply chains and support for women-led businesses;
and addressing and preventing gender-based violence.
Almost 90 companies and organizations from around the world
responded to the survey and 41 were selected to be featured in thisreport. They reflect a diverse range of companies operating in developed and developing countries. This short guide aims to inform
other companies on good practices and initiatives for supporting
women as employees and entrepreneurs during the pandemic.
Evidence shows that women’s full economic participation can help
grow a company’s competitiveness, solidify its supply base andimprove its human capital. Therefore, including women in ourrecovery efforts is even more critical for a resilient and sustainable economy.

Hans Peter Lankes
Vice President, Economics and Private Sector Development
International Finance Corporation (IFC)

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Foreword

COVID-19 is putting past decades’ progress on gender equality at
risk. It threatens to push 47 million more women and girls below
the poverty line. While workplaces are radically transformed by the
pandemic, women in the world of work are being disproportionately impacted in a negative way. Barriers to accessing digital technology, disruptions to supply chains, unequal access to financial
and non-financial supports, increased care and family responsibilities, and heightened risks of gender-based violence have crippled
women’s economic opportunities.
As part of the WE EMPOWER G7 Programme funded by theEuropean Union (EU), UN Women has worked with the EU acrossthe private sector, public sector and civil society to offer guidanceon the implementation of policies and practices that advancegender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

Over the last three years with the support of the EU our work has
been guided by the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs).
Companies are using the WEPs as a global framework to drivechange and build gender-responsive workplaces, marketplaces,
and communities including during the COVID-19 pandemic.
We are pleased to collaborate with IFC on this report. It provides
emerging practices in the response and recovery during COVID-19
that support women’s economic participation across the globe.
I hope that this report will inspire other companies and organizations to put gender equality at the heart of their COVID-19
responses as we build forward equal.

Anita Bhatia
Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director
UN Women

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Introduction
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened existing gender inequalities, exposed fundamental flaws in economic and social systems,
and posed a serious threat to the gains made on gender equality.
The pandemic has led to a rise in unemployment, more unpaid carework, and unprecedented levels of domestic violence and school
dropouts. The pandemic has had a particularly strong impact on
women who, prior to COVID-19, were holding insecure employment and living close to the poverty line.1 The pandemic will likely
push 47 million more women and girls below the poverty line. 2
In some sectors, women have experienced disproportionate job
losses and economic insecurity as a result of the pandemic. While
women make up 39 per cent of global employment, they accountfor 54 per cent of the overall job losses due to the crisis. 3 Female
job-loss rates resulting from COVID-19 are about 1.8 times higher
than male job-loss rates globally.4 In the U.S., for example, nearly
60 per cent of people who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic are women. 5
Gender gaps in access to finance have created additional challenges for women entrepreneurs to find working capital solutions tonavigate liquidity shocks during the crisis. In India, for example,
35 per cent of women entrepreneurs report that they have suffereddeclining revenues due to COVID-19. 6 In Sri Lanka, 72 per cent of
women small business owners reported experiencing difficulties
accessing their usual financial services, and 31 per cent borrowed from family or friends to support their business becauseof COVID-19.7

While women across non-essential sectors have experienced
disproportionate job loss, many women working as front-line responders, health professionals, community volunteers, and employees in the food, retail, hygiene and sanitation industries havecontinued to make critical contributions to meet the needs ofconsumers and communities – at the direct risk of their own healthand well-being. 8
With school and care facility closures, women around the world aretaking on additional care responsibilities, and society’s reliance on
women and girls in informal and formal care structures has been
amplified.9 A disproportionate number of women are being negatively impacted by the shadow pandemic as work closures andcalls for physical distancing and isolation come with a heightenedrisk of domestic violence and abuse.10
UN Women and IFC have taken action to support companies andwomen during COVID-19, recognizing that eliminating barriers towomen’s economic participation and empowerment drives thegrowth of businesses and economies and improves the lives offamilies and communities.

UN Women COVID-19 support
A growing number of companies have joined the United Nations
Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) 11 network over the
past year. They have joined to receive guidance from UN Womenon how to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment
in the workplace, marketplace and community. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, these companies have enjoyedspecific guidance on how to respond to COVID-19 to ensure thatthey can continue to support and empower women employees
as well as attract new talent.12 Building on the WEPs, UN Womenand BSR collaborated in developing a COVID-19 and Gender
Rapid Self-Assessment Tool for companies. It enables companies to assess their COVID-19 response and ensure they are supporting women during and beyond the crisis with gender-sensitive measures throughout their value chain.

IFC COVID-19 support
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group and the largest global development institution focused on the private sector in emerging
markets, is working with companies and investors to respond tothe crisis, prevent the gender gap from widening, and strengthen
women’s participation in the private sector13 as corporate leaders,
employees, entrepreneurs, consumers and stakeholders.14 IFC’s
COVID-19 and gender response includes an internal operational
guidance note for staff providing investment and advisory services
to private sector companies in emerging markets, as well as external guidance notes for companies that outline solutions on employer-supported childcare and family-friendly policies during
COVID-19,15 gender-based violence and workplace risks and responses,16 and women’s access to insurance.17

BRIDGING THE GAP: EMERGING PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY MEASURES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AMID COVID-19

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As COVID-19 widens global gender gaps, IFC and UN Women havepartnered to showcase a growing number of companies and organizations around the world that are taking action to ensure theeconomic inclusion and social well-being of their employees,
customers, and suppliers, as well as local communities.
This report aims to inform companies around the world on emerging practices and initiatives for supporting women employees,
entrepreneurs and those in value chains amid the pandemic. It is
structured according to the six areas of action or pillars, as listed
below. Each thematic pillar provides a short introduction, examples of what companies are doing to further progress, and practices and takeaways that other companies can apply.

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Thematic pillars

To continue to support women in the workplace, marketplace andcommunity, companies and organizations can adopt emerging
practices from others who are working to support women amid
the pandemic. When implementing initiatives, programmes, andpolicies to support women, an intersectional lens is crucial to capture the diverse experiences of women from different backgrounds,
identities, and abilities. By fostering diversity and inclusion, com-panies and organizations can achieve better business outcomes,
including lower absenteeism and turnover, more innovation andemployee engagement, access to new markets and investors,
stronger reputation in the community, and higher productivity andprofitability – ultimately contributing to the economic and social
well-being of communities as well as overall economic growth.

This publication is interactive.
Click a pillar to visit its
specific page

Promotingwell-being andmental health

Providing flexibility
and family-friendly
policies

Enabling equal accessand use ofdigital technologies
and platforms

Ensuring equal accessto financial andnon-financial services

Strengthening
inclusive supply chains
and support for
women-led businesses

Addressing, preventing
and mitigating
gender-based violence

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2

3

4

5

6

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Methodology

To understand company and organization initiatives to support
women along the six thematic pillars, UN Women and IFC developed a survey that was disseminated globally via social media,
newsletters and targeted outreach. Over 80 companies andorganizations from around the world responded to the survey.
For more details see company and organization descriptions in
the annex.

• Focus on gender equality and diversity and inclusion.

Each company and organization shared key themes, case studies,examples of their initiatives and policies, as well as lessons learned.
The information from the survey was supplemented with additional desk research.

• Exhibit emerging, innovative, comprehensive and/or extensive actions.

• Reflect a diverse range of companies in terms of, for example, company size,
workforce composition and demographics, industry or sector, location of HQ,
and region(s) of operation.
• Implemented during COVID-19 for inclusive response and recovery.
• Evidenced with clear business, social, and/or economic impacts for women andtheir families, employers, communities, and economies.

The criteria below were used to select emerging company andorganization examples that are supporting women’s empowerment amid COVID-19. The company initiatives had to meet one ormore of the following criteria:

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Promoting well-being
and mental health
COVID-19 has led to heightened stress and anxiety, and physicaldistancing measures have caused many people to feel isolated.
With new work-from-home models being adopted by some employees, along with longer working hours, personal and family
responsibilities, and potential risks of exposure for those working
in essential industries, it is important for companies to take active steps to promote the health and well-being of workers.
Results from a global study conducted by CARE during the pandemic highlight that women are almost three times as likely as men
to report suffering from significant mental health consequences
including anxiety, loss of appetite, inability to sleep and trouble
completing everyday tasks.18 In Canada, nearly a quarter of womenindicated experiencing moderate to severe anxiety compared to17.9 per cent found among men.19 Across Asia and the Pacific, 66
per cent of women said their mental health had been affected
since the pandemic outbreak compared to 58 per cent of men. 20
Stress during the pandemic can be largely associated with concerns of economic instability, the increase of care work responsibilities placed on women given school and day care closures, andwomen’s employment in front-line positions that increase their risk
to virus exposure.21 Companies that provide mental health supports
benefit from increased productivity and lower absenteeism,22 andensure that workers are adequately supported when coping withstress during unprecedented times.

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Actions to support well-being and mental health
Several companies have instituted helplines or enabled accessto professional psychologists to support the mental health of
employees, such as Grupo Bimbo and Grupo Danone Mexico.
Compartamos Servicios has provided mindfulness webinars andSanofi Aventis has provided meditation, stress management, andonline sport courses. Orange Moldova has developed a well-being
programme with virtual yoga and stretching exercises, as wellas three individual consultations with psychologists for each employee, and online meetings with psychologists on issues requested by employees including family relationships amid COVID-19
and the importance of work-life balance. Sodexo Colombia developed a training focused on fostering diversity and inclusion andresponding to the various psychological and physical effects ofthe pandemic, as well as a psychosocial care route where thecompany follows up with each employee who has tested positive
to provide a care kit to highlight the importance of emotional careduring isolation.

BACK 
AXA Group has implemented programmes on preventing stressat work, and promoting mental health and well-being. This includes
launching awareness campaigns, providing resilience training for
managers and senior executives, and developing employee resource groups (ERGs) that increase diversity and inclusion. In
order to support the mental health of employees during the pandemic, AXA set up a 24/7 a week hotline with an external vendor
that provides phone counselling and, when needed, face-to-facesessions with a clinical psychologist. AXA has also initiated an
Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) that offers services suchas tele-counselling and telemedicine. The company has designed
back to office protocols that include health checkups via third-party
entities, conducting well-being awareness campaigns, and offering provisions for work-related stress assessments to preserve
mental health.
Ferring Pharmaceuticals developed a wellness committee to define and implement actions to improve the emotional and physicalhealth of all employees. Initiatives to boost employee health include
mindfulness, emotional intelligence, nutrition, physical activity,
energetic balance, yoga virtual pauses to manage stress, virtualfamily day, and wellness bi-monthly newsletters and communication campaigns. This initiative is coupled with a flexibility policy toimplement flexible work and staggered schedules for all employees to meet their personal and professional needs.

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Promoting well-being
and mental health
VNDLY supported workers with care responsibilities navigating
school and childcare closures by transitioning away from thestandard 9–5 work day and empowering managers to work with
their teams to best support their direct reports during the pandemic. VNDLY has been proactive in promoting employee wellness and therefore created a pandemic support group designed
to share the available mental and physical health options (suchas Teladoc, a virtual health-care company) available to the team.
The company started regular personal and team virtual check-ins,
and team yoga to remain connected.

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BACK 

Good Practices:• Offer wellness initiatives that are accessible to all employees with different lifestyles, locations and health needs, providing
holistic solutions.
• Provide various tools to support all employees’ mental health, including access to telemedicine, digitally delivered
self-diagnostics, psychological therapy, guided meditation, and the creation of virtual support groups.
• Create employee resource groups (ERGs) to reduce the stigma around mental health by promoting social contact, peer
support, and education about mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety.
• Promote disconnecting from devices after the workday is complete to ensure that those working from home have ahealthy work–life balance, and establish expectations on working hours to ensure that there are clearly defined times
for work and for rest that are tailored to worker schedules and needs.
• Where internet bandwidth permits and employees feel comfortable, request video rather than audio meetings withremote workers so that managers can check on the physical and mental well-being of their staff, and to develop agreater sense of social connection among staff.
• Provide inclusive team-building initiatives, efforts for diversity and inclusion, opportunities for continuous learning,taking into account the differentiated needs of women.

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Providing flexibility
and family-friendly policies
Work-from-home strategies during the pandemic pose difficulties in achieving work–life balance, as employees try to meet theirwork and family obligations under new circumstances. The loss ofchildcare options and school closures presents a parallel crisis forworking parents. Working mothers are particularly impacted by
the crisis as they absorb more care responsibilities. 23 Among the
population working from home in Germany, UK, and USA during
the lockdown, women spend significantly more time caring forchildren as well as homeschooling relative to men. 24 To mitigate
this, companies and organizations can promote work–life balance
strategies, and offer flexible working arrangements and accessto child and dependent care through services, resources and/or information.
Actions to support flexibility and family-friendly policies
Several companies have taken steps to accommodate the changing schedules of workers and provide flexibility, especially for thosewith care responsibilities. DBL Group formed a COVID-19 committee for worker safety with a focus on pregnant and lactating
mothers and used UNICEF’s RapidPro app to provide working
mothers with regular messages on maternity protection. McCann
Yerevan initiated individual one-to-one meetings with employees

2with children to review their schedule and provide them with flexible work schedules, as well as offering five flexible working hours
a day to employees with full salary compensation, based on theirpersonal schedules.
Artistic Milliners followed the recommendations in IFC’s guidefor employers on COVID-19 and family-friendly policies such as
childcare,25 and decided to open its childcare centre free of charge
to the children of health-care, law enforcement and other essential
workers, while putting in place all necessary health and safety
protocols.
IBM Argentina launched a new paid care leave allowance of 20
working days for clients amid the pandemic. IBM Argentina also
promoted co-responsibility of home, care and homeschoolingchores, and promoted a local version of the IBM Work from Home
Pledge urging workers to stay connected while remaining respectful of the different work-from-home experiences of co-workers
and to share what actions they implemented in their teams to promote collaboration and manage home and care responsibilities.
IBM Argentina developed a social media campaign #IBMersEnCasa
about continuing to care for ourselves and others while working
from home.

BACK 
Intesa SanPaolo developed Mamma@Work, a highly subsidized
financing solution meant to support new mothers in their work–
life integration. Introduced in June 2020 to support parents
amid the pandemic, the economic support programme is available to all working mothers with children up to three years old.
Ownership of the loan itself can also be shared with a partner, if
present. The programme’s duration can span between three andfive years, based on the child’s age at the time the loan is takenout. Key factors of the programme include a low fixed rate and a
repayment time of up to 20 years with no guarantee required.

ORGANIZATIONS IN ACTION: Recognizing that a main concern
for parents amid the pandemic is keeping children occupied during
school closures, Kidogo created a digital caregiving work stream.
Through a combination of weekly SMS text messages, WhatsApp
and community radio, they have given parents the knowledge
and tools to provide playful experiences for their children during
school closures, as well as monthly play packs to keep children
occupied so that parents can continue to work from home. Additionally, for childcare centre operators (known as Mamapreneurs)
who are experiencing difficulty sustaining their businesses given
school closures, Kidogo has provided a monthly cash transfer tohelp keep their micro-businesses afloat.

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Providing flexibility
and family-friendly policies

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Good Practices:• Through anonymous survey, or formal/informal conversations, ask employees, especially those caring for children,
ill or older family members, what they need to ensure work–life integration during the pandemic.
• Establish an environment of trust and transparency and have senior leaders and supervisors communicate openly andoften to employees.
• Develop an interdisciplinary and diverse team bearing in mind that people experience the pandemic differently. Have acomprehensive approach for branches of large corporations with an understanding that solutions vary across contexts.
• Remind leaders and staff to be kind and compassionate, and demonstrate that they understand that these are unprecedented times.
• Offer family-friendly policies to all employees and encourage care uptake among men to help shift traditional attitudes
and redistribute care. Consider the cultural context when advocating for these shifts.
• Shift to a results-based work environment rather than measuring productivity based on hours worked.

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Enabling equal access and use ofdigital technologies and platforms
In the new COVID-19 work environment, having access to reliable,
affordable digital services is essential to ensuring livelihoods andstimulating economic growth for companies, organizations, andthose at all levels of the supply chain, as commercial activity haslargely shifted online. Yet, a digital divide persists between womenand girls, and men and boys. As of 2019, the gender gap in mobile
Internet use is at 21 per cent in Middle East and North Africa,
37 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and 51 per cent in South Asia, 26
and women in rural communities often experience less access totechnologies. 27 COVID-19 has widened existing digital divides,
as business, schooling and daily interactions move online. Ensuring
widespread access to digital technology allows employees andwomen business owners to remain productive while working fromhome as well as helping entrepreneurs future-proof their businesses.
Actions to support equal access to and use of digital technology
Many companies have shifted to working online and thus havesupplied workers and employees with digital technologies andplatforms, while also extending this technology to those in theircommunities. Coverfox has moved its call centre to a Cloud-based
system, which has enabled its employees, including women,
to work from home without a laptop or even Wi-Fi, by using only
their mobile phones. 28 Within just three days, the company wasable to restore more than 95 per cent of its call centre operations,while also maximizing accessibility and inclusion. 29

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To address women’s lack of participation and to engage in digital
capacity building, e-commerce companies such as Elo7 are leveraging sex-disaggregated data to draw insights about how womenuse platforms; to inform the gender-inclusive design of platforms;
and provide relevant digital skills training.

ORGANIZATIONS IN ACTION: BSR’s HERproject has put together an essential training package for female workers during
the COVID-19 crisis, called HERessentials. HERessentials is an app
and in-factory intervention that covers critical resources for
supply chain workers, especially women, and managers, in response to COVID-19. The goal of HERessentials is to support
women workers to build their adaptive capacity and resiliencein the face of crisis. The app includes games, animations andquizzes to make learning interactive and participatory. The selfdirected digital training includes six modules: hygiene and general
health, family health, digital financial services, managing money,
building harmonious relationships, and stress management.

BACK 

“The COVID-19 crisis has caused companies across the globe toreassess their business strategy and makecritical decisions about how to best support their workforce.
The impacts of the crisis and businesses’ response
will be felt differently by women, potentially exacerbating
existing inequalities and threatening business performanceand resilience. BSR is committed to working with its members
during this time to identify ways to mitigate the risks to womenand respond appropriately. We believe this can bea unique opportunity for businesses toreinforce their commitments to gender equality
through targeted gender-responsive measures.”– Aditi Mohapatra, Managing Director, BSR –BRIDGING THE GAP: EMERGING PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY MEASURES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AMID COVID-19

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Enabling equal access and use ofdigital technologies and platforms
Kipco created the ALAAN mobile application, a digital hub whereusers can interact with one another, stay informed on current
events in Kuwait, and view original content in one seamless app.
The app is divided into four sections: awareness, interviews, entertainment, and news. One of the main goals of this application is toempower women by making sure they are represented in content
creation. To ensure this, Kipco invited women to film a series of
episodes that discussed mental health and the evolving situationof COVID-19. Producing these materials is the start of using theplatform to amplify women’s voices on key issues.

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BACK 

Good Practices:•

Provide digital tools and related training to enable all employees to stay connected and engaged through regular communications.

•

Ensure that the technology provided can reach and work within the communities being served, noting that challenges such as affordability
and privacy will disproportionately impact women.

•

Invest in and harness technology to expand global hiring capacity and find the best talent through virtual job fairs, workplace tours, andoutreach to underrepresented communities.

•

As part of a long-term community engagement and future talent pipeline development approach, increase outreach to schools anduniversities and provide opportunities for girls to engage in STEM curricula, activities, and competitions.

•Support suppliers and entrepreneurs, especially women-led micro, small to medium-sized enterprises or WMSMEs, through training andsubsidized digitalization efforts including access to e-commerce platforms.

•

Use existing technologies such as the Cloud, rather than developing new applications that may be costly and could require new staff and/or
extensive staff training.

•

Address the digital gender divide, tailor solutions that are relevant for women, and ensure that recovery strategies do not limit women’sability to realize equitable gains. It is critical that the shift to digital delivery and payment solutions does not widen the economic gap
between women and men. 30•

Collect sex disaggregated data on goods, service and payment platforms to bridge gender gaps.

•

Design online platforms with all users in mind ensuring accessibility for all genders and individuals with different abilities.

•

Provide digital financial services such as contactless and flexible payment arrangements. 31

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Ensuring equal access tofinancial and non-financial services
The negative economic impacts of COVID-19 are felt disproportionately by women and girls, who are generally earning less,saving less, and holding insecure jobs or living close to poverty.32
When emergency costs arise, women tend to rely on their savings.33
In many countries, women do not have the same inheritance rights
as men,34 therefore if their husband dies from COVID-19, they canlose their joint assets and be pushed into poverty. As a result,
COVID-19 is likely to affect women’s risk profile and exacerbate
their protection gap. Providing insurance coverage for all women,
particularly women entrepreneurs, in addition to value-added nonfinancial services such as mentorship, financial literacy, and education on business sustainability, is crucial for supporting women
economically during the pandemic and beyond.
Actions to support equal access tofinancial and non-financial assistanceSeveral companies have taken action to provide financial assistance to those in need, especially women. To support financial
institutions in responding to the pandemic, IFC has offered new
incentives for financial institutions to provide loans to SMEs in thepoorest countries, and to women entrepreneurs across all emerging markets. 35 As part of IFC’s Banking on Women programme,
IFC is providing performance-based incentives to financial institutions that agree to earmark at least 20 per cent of their working

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BACK 

capital loan proceeds for lending to women customers and women-led enterprises. Banregio made significant changes amid the
pandemic to their mentoring programme for SMEs to offer an
express version of the traditional 14 sessions, helping small businesses in diverse activities such as digital marketing, strategicplanning, finances, and legal advice. Banregio’s online platform
Clara Banregio promotes financial education with a gender perspective and holds financial courses in Mexico. Kopo Kopo offers
digital payment access to merchants through M-PESA, and thenapplies big data analytics to merchant payment transaction data
to offer SMEs a range of value-added services, such as unsecured,short-term loans. 36

Other companies have expanded non-financial services amid the
pandemic. To expand access to information for women entrepreneurs, Lonadek Global Services paid for the Harvard Manage
Mentor premium collection program so that all staff are encouraged to skill-up amid the pandemic. Lonadek also offered free
COVID-19 Business Audit services to Women in Business and
STEMpreneurs. Lonadek, the Cedar STEM and Entrepreneurship
Hub, and the Vision 2020 Career Counselling Initiative have hosted
free webinars on topics like innovation and entrepreneurship, partnership, collaboration and strategic alliances for the new norm,
and others to support those who are unemployed, Girls in STEM,
youth, STEM teachers and career counsellors.

Banks have also taken action to provide access to capital amid
the pandemic. BRAC Bank provided a moratorium on loan repayments, reduction of interest rates, provision of a working capital
facility, and webinars to provide strategic guidance for businesswomen. 37 Banco Santander in Argentina has implemented a robust programme for women, based on four pillars: delivering online training and improving financial literacy, 2) creating networking
opportunities, 3) providing unique financial products – includingloans and insurance, and 4) offering a credit card with special discounts. 38 Bancolombia fast-tracked their sustainable gendercredit line, which provides credit dedicated to financing sustainableprojects of companies either fully or partially owned by women.

BMO Financial Group provided webinars and podcasts for
women-owned businesses facing COVID-19 challenges on subjects including access to capital and cash management, economy,business planning, and tax implications, as well as podcasts specific
to COVID-19 and online workshops for women entrepreneurs.
BMO partnered with Black Moms Connection in support of their
Rent Bank, assisting Black mothers struggling to afford rent due
to loss of income caused by COVID-19. BMO also allocated CAD
100,000 to create the BMO Celebrating Women Grant programme,
providing a CAD 10,000 grant to 10 woman-owned businesses in
Canada that have shown resilience and innovation to continue
generating revenue amid the pandemic.

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Ensuring equal access tofinancial and non-financial services
Citi and Citi Foundation have committed more than USD 100
million to date in support of COVID-19-related community relief and economic recovery efforts globally, including expanded
support for Community Development Financial Institutions, whichplay a vital role in expanding access to safe and affordable financial
products and services in underserved communities. Citi also
partnered with the National Banking Association to create a purchasing facility to assume up to USD 50 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans from Minority Depository Institutions in the
U.S. The firm’s USD 200 million Citi Impact Fund makes equity
investments in double bottom line U.S.-based private sector
companies that are applying innovative solutions to help addresssome of society’s most pressing challenges and has allocatedfunds specifically for businesses that are led or owned by womenand minorities.
Insular Life (InLife) developed a fully digital sales system called
the Virtual Business Enabler (ViBE) which has allowed InLife tocontinue reaching women customers. By using the ViBE platform,
InLife’s financial advisers have been able to complete insurance
sales with no face-to-face contact with their clients, but still enable
them to buy the important insurance products they need. InLife,
with IFC’s help, also re-aligned its gender-sensitivity training
programme39 for its agents into a virtual format during COVID-19 sothat the agents can continue engaging with women customers.

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InLife Healthcare, the health maintenance subsidiary of InLife,
extended coverage for COVID-19-related claims across all of theirhealth-care products including the affordable pre-paid health-care
emergency cards, which are primarily purchased by women customers for themselves, their family and children. To further support
women, the Sheroes Programme developed online content thatadvises women in the Philippines on how to maintain their physical,
psychological and financial well-being in response to COVID-19.
To support WSMEs, Sheroes also organizes virtual webinars that
equip Filipina business owners with the tools to face their financial challenges.
Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPBank)
offered Households Business Academy, a series of virtual trainings
for women- and family-owned businesses on the advantages of
e-commerce platforms for their business and how businesses canpivot to working online amid the pandemic. The Households Business Academy reached over 300,000 viewers online – 60 per cent
women. The series connected small business owners to the mostpopular e-commerce platforms. VPBank worked with IFC todeliver a business continuity course for SMEs to help customers
mitigate the financial crisis, maintain financial access, and run theirbusinesses successfully during the pandemic.

BACK 

“More than ever, business owners have had to adapt overthe past several months, and those lucky enough to beentering this season with their businesses intact are left withincreased uncertainty. At WEC, we’re taking this time to pause,reflect, focus on our strengths, and to create new models
and new possibilities to deepen support for businessowners through recovery.”- Jill Earthy, CEO, Women’s Enterprise Centre (WEC) -BRIDGING THE GAP: EMERGING PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY MEASURES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AMID COVID-19

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Ensuring equal access tofinancial and non-financial services
ORGANIZATIONS IN ACTION: Women’s Enterprise Centre (WEC)
has taken various impactful actions to ensure the long-term
success of women entrepreneurs, including capital, advisory
support, mentorship and training. Given the pandemic’s effecton small business owners, WEC made several relief measuresavailable to its loan clients including options to defer principal
and/or forgive interest for the initial three months. As it pivots
to COVID-19 recovery, WEC has made more options available tohelp women entrepreneurs endure the pandemic, including extending interest-only payments. WEC is also providing access toloans up to CAD 40,000 for women entrepreneurs across British
Columbia as part of the Regional Relief and Recovery Fund,
thanks to funding from the Government of Canada, throughWestern Economic Diversification Canada. WEC has encouraged
women business owners to utilize its complimentary businessadvisory services if they need an understanding person to talk toabout their particular situations. To support women entrepreneurs after the onset of COVID-19, WEC offered full bursaries toall women who joined one-to-one mentoring and peer mentoringgroups. In addition, WEC has hosted free online training and aseries of ‘Strength in Numbers’ webinars that offer resources,
guidance and hosted experts on a variety of topics to answer
women business owners’ questions.

4

BACK 

Good Practices:•

Adjust products, processes and programmes based on women’s specific needs. Meet the needs of customers by creating new
solutions deployed through new partnerships and distribution channels, including digital platforms.

•

Assist customers facing financial difficulties so they can afford their monthly payments and premiums; for example, by paying
smaller instalments or through delayed payments.

•

Reach more women as employees, customers, and entrepreneurs by looking beyond traditional networks and tapping into the
networks that WSMEs use, as well as the organizations that advocate for them.

•

Engage with and leverage networks of women leaders, create opportunities for them to both receive support and share their expertise,knowledge, and time to benefit other women employees and entrepreneurs.

•

Educate women about personal and business financial resilience. Companies in the banking, finance, and insurance industries canprovide resources for women to access credit, manage cash flow, and enable their businesses to become more resilient.

•

Provide women customers with resources that build their knowledge about personal and business finance and deal with stress andchallenges so that they feel empowered to make good decisions during the pandemic.

•

Enable digital banking and online payments of premiums and claims. By partnering with financial technology companies (fintechs),
insurers can speed up payment of claims and offer benefits such as premium rebates. 40•

Understand and address the ways in which women-led and minority-owned businesses experience systemic barriers in access to finance.

•

Provide innovative and relevant financial and non-financial resources to WSMEs, tailored to their unique needs. Consider redefining
collateral, restructuring loan payments, and reducing interest rates.

BRIDGING THE GAP: EMERGING PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY MEASURES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AMID COVID-19

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Strengthening inclusive supply chains
and support for women-led businesses
The pandemic has disrupted global supply chains, thus affecting
women’s work at every level along value chains. COVID-19 related
shutdowns have led to a slump in demand from both consumers
and businesses.41 Secondary effects related to reduced consumer
expenditure and consumer confidence, companies selling stocks
rather than newly produced products, and lower demand in virusaffected countries across the world have been transferred down
the value chain, affecting demand and production levels at eachstage. 42 Interdependence in supply chains has become an operational risk where a large number of tier 2 and tier 1 suppliers
are dependent on a few buyers, and face demand shocks suchas those experienced during the COVID-19 crisis.43 On the other
hand, the absence of substitute suppliers can cause severebusiness disruptions. 44
Women-led SMEs (WSMEs) are the hardest hit. A worldwide
survey of nearly 600 small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
found that between April and June 2020, 84 per cent of WSME
respondents have seen a serious drop in their sales due tothe pandemic. 45

5In addition, extending payment terms including how long it takes
for the supplier to be paid, cancelling contracts, and delaying
payment for products or services already supplied, have been
cited as problems by nearly 50 per cent of women-owned businesses that are experiencing financial challenges due to the pandemic.46 The constriction of capital markets during the pandemic
has further reduced the amount of working capital available to
SMEs.47 Larger corporates and financial institutions can implement
solutions to help WSMEs recover from the pandemic, and in doingso, potentially lower risks within supply chains’ ecosystems.
Actions to strengthen inclusive supply chains
and support for women-led businesses
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) issued special COVID-19
guidance on labour and human rights in order to protect at-risk
groups amid the pandemic. RJC actively supports gender equality
throughout the entire global watch and jewellery supply chain
through the implementation of the Code of Practices with over
1300 companies from mining to retail and in May 2020 RJC joined
the NGO call to action to protect vulnerable workers in artisanalscale mining.

BACK 
Edelman increased focus on diverse suppliers and updated theirvendor management system to improve tracking and analysing
U.S. spend data in priority categories. Further, Edelman’s Chicago
office implemented the Donate Your Commute programme, basedon the idea of using money typically spent on commuting, such as
bus fare or parking fees to re-invest in small businesses in one’s
community. Edelman partnered with the Chicago Minority Supplier
Development Council and the Women’s Business Development
Center to establish the programme. Through the Chicago Minority
Supplier Development Council Small Business COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund and the Women’s Business Development Center
COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, individuals can make a monetary
donation supporting furloughed or laid-off Chicago small businessemployees to pay utility bills, pay their rent or mortgage, or buy
food or medicine.
State Bank of Mauritius (SBM Bank) offered over 2,000 womenbusiness owners capacity-building support, and advised customers on what bank facilities are available to them, such as loan
restructuring options for sectors hard hit by the pandemic (including on how to effectively manage their cash flows). SBM BankBRIDGING THE GAP: EMERGING PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY MEASURES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AMID COVID-19

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Strengthening inclusive supply chains
and support for women-led businesses
digitized e-procurement procedures to ensure fairness and inclusivity of all genders. During COVID-19 the bank revised its payment timelines to suppliers from 90 days to 30 days to help SMEs
weather the pandemic and support their recovery. SBM Bank
started a campaign dubbed Merchants of Hope, which is used toshowcase MSMEs owners whom the company helped to migrate
their businesses online to accelerate their sales. Following many
months of lock down, the International Trade Centre team and the
She Trades Commonwealth developed a Crisis Management Toolkit and facilitated Virtual DIY trainings for SBM Customers helping
cushion their Women Owned Businesses (WOBs) assess the impact of the crisis on their businesses, define a new path, draw anadaptive action plan to manage change and restructure theirbusinesses to achieve sustainable profitable levels.

5

ORGANIZATIONS IN ACTION: VSO Tanzania established a
COVID-19 response programme focusing on empowering womenbusiness owners and their access to markets. Specific objectives
included strengthening micro and small businesses’ resilienceand adaptive ability and supporting them to meet new market
demands, among others. This programme resulted in 69 per centof women- led SMEs meeting new market needs, a 32 per centincrease in income, and 107 new jobs for women. In partnershipwith the Small Industry Development Organization (SIDO), VSO
Tanzania provided a range of business development services
based on SME needs. These services included: group advisory
and individual mentoring in business continuity, business management, cash flow, health and safety and market. To enable
access to markets, VSO strengthened an existing online market

BACK 

platform, increasing its membership and usage by 200 per cent.
VSO Tanzania also connected women and their business groups
to local stakeholders who could provide additional services, suchas financial stress testing and relief loans. VSO Tanzania worked
with SIDO to adapt their technical training, and the Tanzanian
Bureau of Standards (TBS) to enable MSMEs to meet the additional/new market demands for soap, hand-wash stations, sanitizers and facemasks, in turn creating jobs for other women andyouth. Recognizing both the additional stresses faced by women
during COVID-19 and their vital role in catalysing communitychanges, VSO worked with women’s business groups and networks to raise awareness on good practices and convene genderfocused meetings, providing a safe space for women to share
their issues and problem solve together amid the pandemic.

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Strengthening inclusive supply chains
and support for women-led businesses
ORGANIZATIONS IN ACTION: EarthEmpower, a hybrid NGO andsocial enterprise has taken action to support women farmers
who are unable to deliver crops to their factories because public
transport has been suspended. EarthEmpower establishedremote mini-factories in two communities near farmers in their
supply chain in order to encourage purchasing from small-scale
female farmers. EarthEmpower expanded purchases to farmers
and farmer groups using a loan received for business growth toensure the farmers in supply chains that have experienced economic shocks due to the pandemic have continued income during
the crisis. EarthEmpower began no-cost transport routes toinclude purchases from remote communities to ensure continued
income. EarthEmpower’s commitment to ensuring continued
income for small-scale farmers and rural women amid the pandemic has led to an increase in purchases from female farmers
and groups by 35 per cent as compared to 2019.

5

BACK 

Good Practices:• Influence supply chains through inclusive supply chain codes, policies, and standards as part of a supply chain risk
strategy for future pandemics.
• Minimize exposure to shocks by diversifying the supplier base and expanding opportunities for women-owned businesses.
• Preserve supplier networks by providing WSMEs with much-needed liquidity. Absa Bank in Kenya took action to reduce
payment terms, and announced that they would pay all supplier invoices within 14 days to help businesses maintaintheir cash flow and working capital.48• Promote supplier development programmes and work with diverse suppliers to boost their performance through education and mentoring, virtual matchmaking sessions, collaboration between suppliers, and identifying promising suppliers
to meet current and future procurement needs.

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Addressing, preventing andmitigating gender-based violence
Gender-based violence (GBV) is violence directed against a person
because of their gender or violence that affects persons of a particular gender disproportionately.49 GBV takes many forms including
physical, sexual, psychological, and economic harm50 and it can include customer and client aggression, workplace bullying and sexual harassment (especially quid pro quo), sexual exploitation andabuse connected to the workplace, as well as domestic violence. 51
Domestic violence in particular is about power and control, andin many cases the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated existing
abuse and control as individuals are confined and isolated during
a lockdown. 52 Since lockdowns started in France, cases of domestic violence have risen by 36 per cent.53 In China and Somalia,
GBV emergency calls have increased by 50 per cent; in Colombia
calls have risen by 79 per cent; and in Tunisia and Fiji calls haveincreased by over 400 per cent. 54
While supporting workers and employees amid COVID-19, companies and organizations have a moral and financial imperative
to mitigate, address and prevent gender-based violence. GBV is
associated with high costs to individuals in terms of lost earnings,
missed promotions, absence from work, and overall negative impacts on health, well-being, and productivity. 55

6Actions to address, prevent, and mitigate
gender-based violence
Many companies have dedicated efforts to GBV awareness raisingduring the pandemic. Mtavari Channel LLC has used its broadcasting channel to guide survivors on using legal measures against
violence. Mtavari Channel dedicated special programs to violence
and femicide and indicated detailed information about available
legal, psychological, social and medical services for survivors ofviolence, including state and non-governmental organization
services. Other companies like WhiteSwan Consulting have provided online counselling initiatives to mitigate domestic violence.
Avon launched the Isolated Not Alone campaign with a message
for those experiencing domestic violence: you may feel isolated,but you are not alone. The campaign aimed to raise awareness on
the issue, signpost help for those who need it, and call on governments around the world to ensure frontline services had the resources to support survivors. The campaign built on pre-existingawareness raising initiatives and by working with their global
network of partner NGOs, the Avon Foundation announced USD
1 million in grants to 50 frontline organizations and services in 37
countries to equip them with the support they needed to keep
going. To encourage government action, Avon and its sister brands– The Body Shop, Natura and Aesop – shared an open letter calling

BACK 
on governments to keep survivors front of mind and ensure frontline services remain open by expanding funding and resources totackle the increase in domestic violence. Avon has also ensured
more localized efforts: in Mexico, funds from the Avon Foundation helped the National Shelter Network provide access to resources and immediate protection for around 3,000 women andchildren. In India, the Family Planning Association received USD
40,000 from Avon allowing them to provide essential services inrural communities across the country, including counselling forvulnerable women and children affected by domestic abuse. In the
UK, Avon donated £ 150,000 to domestic abuse charity Refuge
to support them in running their helpline and online chat service
from home“We believe a better world for women is a better world for all.
That’s why we speak out against gender-based violenceand support survivors. We cannot allow those experiencing
domestic violence be forgotten during the coronavirus
pandemic. The Isolated Not Alone campaign aimed
to signpost vital resources for survivors as well as support
frontline services. As the pandemic continues, we’ll continue
to raise awareness of this important issue and support
survivors of gender-based violence.”– Natalie Deacon, President Avon Foundation –BRIDGING THE GAP: EMERGING PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY MEASURES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AMID COVID-19

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Addressing, preventing andmitigating gender-based violence
ChevyPlan has executed awareness campaigns and implemented
a policy targeting harassment, discrimination, and violence in theworkplace. Chevyplan has created a channel for alerts on violence to help collaborators with psychological or family support.
Women workers can receive psychological or family support if theyexperience family or workplace violence. Training is provided on
issues of prevention of gender violence, female empowerment,
the role of men in household activities and childcare, crisis management and tools to obtain work and family life balance. The
training has been aimed at all personnel from commercial advisors to middle managers. Further, Chevyplan signed the WEPs in
June, making frontal commitment to the development and defense of the rights of equality.
L’Oreal announced the creation of a social and environmental
solidarity programme in June 2020 called L’Oreal for the Future
through the creation of a philanthropic endowment fund of € 150
million. A third of this endowment will be devoted over the next
three years to support associations working with women in highly
vulnerable situations, who were the first to be impacted by the
COVID-19 crisis. L’Oreal factories and distribution centres were also
mobilized to set up funds to support health-care personnel and

6NGOs. In France, substantial donations were made to 20 nursing
homes and 15 hospitals, largely benefiting women in front-line
positions, and an awareness and fund-raising media campaign on
domestic violence during confinement with the One in Three
Women business network. Actions targeting gender-based violence, particularly in the pandemic context, were undertaken byvarious additional L’Oréal subsidiaries including Spain, Italy, Israel,
Chile, Mexico and Brazil.
Unilever has created online domestic violence training modules.
The modules contain information geared towards debunking mythsof abuse, how to spot signs of abuse and how to approach a conversation of disclosure, specific training for someone living with
their abuser, and how to create a leaving plan. The modules havedifferent features embedded to ensure the safety of employees
whilst reading the content. Safety features include ensuring thattraining modules have a quick exit feature on every page, links to
the Employee Assistance Programme, and downloadable safety
plan templates that can be saved under different names to erase
traces of user usage. These safety features ensure that users areable to safely and inconspicuously access the provided online
resources.

BACK 

“The safety pathways are a great example of how
Unilever take gender equality and safety of its people seriously.
These modules were in response to Covid-19
and specifically lockdown and shows our commitment
to this incredibly important topic. As Chief D&I Officer
I am proud of this work we have done on domestic violence
and that we will continue to do.”– Aline Santos, Chief D&I Officer, Unilever –BRIDGING THE GAP: EMERGING PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY MEASURES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AMID COVID-19

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Addressing, preventing andmitigating gender-based violence

6

BACK 

Good Practices:
Institutional commitment• Ensure commitment from senior management to achieve company-wide compliancewith policies to ensure workers’ rights and protection from any situation of violenceor discrimination.

• Work closely with front-line services and charities to understand the needs of womenexperiencing gender-based violence and how these needs can be met in a safe, confidential and sensitive manner.

• Put in place a clear, strongly worded policy on gender-based violence, outlining definitions, actions, and remediation measures. Train employees from across the company toimplement this policy and be the first point of contact for staff that are affected by GBV.

• Work with partners who are experts in this space in all areas from the language used to
the guidance provided, through to the safety features to ensure people can view thecontent safely. The subject is a very sensitive one, and working with expert institutions
can ensure companies are addressing the issue and sensitivities in the right way.

• Establish an external evaluator/consultancy to evaluate current policies related to genderbased violence and the impact of current solutions.
• Provide employees with information on support services that operate autonomously,
and are independent from the influence of company management. 56• Act promptly to investigate and resolve all issues raised in a safe and confidential mannerand ensure that any disciplinary action taken is based on the outcome of the investigationand proportionate to the impacts of harassment. 57• Provide accessible training on GBV that can be applied to various regional contexts
should companies have offices globally.
• On client aggression, communicate to employees, customers and clients that unacceptable and hostile behaviour toward employees will not be tolerated, regardless of tensions
produced by the pandemic. Develop and communicate guidelines on how employees
and their supervisors should respond to and report customer and client aggression,
including what to do during an incident, how to report the incident, and where toseek support. 58

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Addressing, preventing andmitigating gender-based violence

6

BACK 

Sexual harassment and bullying in the workplace

Domestic violence• Promote gender equality and diversity in the workforce and supply chain to counter
negative social discourse that is taking place outside a workplace during COVID-19 that
may make harassment within the workplace more likely.

• Create safe and private spaces in the workplace where employees can contact domestic
violence services, and make reasonable adjustments to employees’ work locations andschedules to ensure their safety while at work.

• Encourage, train and support bystander interventions so that those who witness anincident of sexual harassment both within and outside of the workplace can take steps
to protect or remove the target from the situation, address the harasser or help to defuse
a situation. 59• Provide general information to employees via email about employee well-being, including
information on healthy conflict resolution and healthy parenting, and advising employees on how to access counselling services. Communication may include reference
to domestic violence.61• Ensure that all decisions about restructuring or downsizing are made by a gender-balanced and diverse committee and are transparent to reduce the discretion of individual
managers and thus the likelihood of quid pro quo sexual harassment; ensure the impactsof restructuring or downsizing do not disproportionately affect any group based on race,
religion, ethnicity, age, sexual and gender orientation, or disability.60 		

• Adapt existing workplace support and safety measures that may already be provided fora survivor to remote working. For example, introduce a safety code or hand signal as away to trigger emergency help.62• Provide practical guidance, resources and training to equip managers with the skills
and capacity to recognize and respond with support for an employee affected by domestic violence. Ensure that this is prioritized in all communications with managers andensure that managers are supported and guided in these roles.63

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A Call to Action

Companies can draw inspiration from the emerging practices highlighted to inform the implementation of
their own policies and initiatives. Companies are further encouraged to:• Encourage senior leadership to internally and externally highlight the importance of addressing gender gaps
and the business, social, and economic case for doing so.
• Adopt the WEPs to make a public commitment to gender equality and women’s economic empowerment,
and use the WEPs framework to develop policies, strategies, action plans and programmes to support women
during the pandemic.
• Conduct a diagnosis of gender gaps in leadership, workforce, supply chain, and communities of operation, collectgender disaggregated data, and develop an action plan to address gaps. Prioritize the plan’s actions and initiatives.
• Establish KPIs and monitor and evaluate the various impacts of actions taken to advance gender equality during
COVID-19. Refine and restructure policies, initiatives, and programmes if they are not having the desired impact.
• Measure and communicate the business, social and economic case and share good practices for gender equality
during COVID-19 to inspire other companies in the sector and region to take action.
• Apply a gender lens to the operational processes, including how companies manage, market, communicate,sell and use information technology, and how they support their women employees and customers.
• Set gender parity targets for leadership, workforce, suppliers, etc.

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AnnexCompany Submissions Worldwide
Africa•Daltex for Agricultural Development, Egypt,
Agriculture•

ElleSolaire, Senegal, Renewable Energy•

Food Concepts Plc, Nigeria, Food•

International Climate Change Development Initiative,
Nigeria, Climate and Sustainability•

Jireh Microfinance Ltd, Ghana, Finance•

KCB Group PLC, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda,

Burundi, South Sudan, Banking & Finance•Kidogo, Kenya, Early Childhood Development•

Kopo Kopo, Kenya, Technology & Services•

LiveWell Initiative LWI, Nigeria, Healthcare•

State Bank of Mauritius, Kenya, Financial & Banking•

VSO Tanzania, Tanzania, Development

Africa • The Americas • Asia • Europe •Global/Multi-Region*Companies and organizations may also operate in regions outside of the region/countries identified in this pubilcation.

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AnnexCompany Submissions Worldwide
The Americas•

Abstracta, Uruguay, with presence in Chile and theUnited States, Technology•

Grupo Bimbo, Mexico, Food producers

Anglo American, Global, Mining•

Grupo Danone, Mexico, Food•

IBM Argentina, Argentina with locations globally, IT•

Banco Bradesco, Brazil, Banking & Finance•Bancolombia, Colombia, Banking•

Ingredion, South America, Manufacturing & Food••

Banco Santander, Argentina, Banking•

Natura Cosmeticos, Colombia, Beauty andPersonal Care•

Banregio, Mexico, Finance•Nirsa, Ecuador, Food•

Bioita Ecubiertos, Argentina, Manufacturing•

Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Mexico, Pharmaceuticals•

BMO Financial Group, Canada, Finance•

OMG, Dominican Republic, Sales•

Chevyplan, Ecuador, Automotive•

PC275 Realty Brokerage, Canada, Real Estate•

Compartamos Servicios, Mexico, Finance•

Sanofi Aventis, Mexico, Pharmaceutical•

Disrupdiva, Brazil, Consulting•

Sempertegui Abogados, Ecuador, Legal Services•

DSM Nutritional Products, Brazil and Latin America,
Nutrition and Health•

Sodexo Colombia, Colombia, Services•

Vita-Activa.org, Latin America, Mental health•

EarthEmpower, Guatemala, Consulting andManufacturing•

Vital Voices, United States, Women’s Economic
Empowerment•

Elo7, Brazil, Information Technology & Services•

VNDLY, United States, Software•

Evoltz Participações, Brazil, Energy•

YoungShip Colombia, Colombia, Maritime Sector•

Ferring Pharmaceuticals, Mexico, Pharmaceuticals

Africa • The Americas • Asia • Europe •Global/Multi-Region*Companies and organizations may also operate in regions outside of the region/countries identified in this pubilcation.

BRIDGING THE GAP: EMERGING PRIVATE SECTOR RESPONSE AND RECOVERY MEASURES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AMID COVID-19

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AnnexCompany Submissions Worldwide
Asia•

Artistic Milliners (PVT) Ltd, Pakistan, Personal Goods•

Eco Couture Ltd, Bangladesh, Textiles•

Baldha group, Bangladesh, Media•FELTA Multi-Media Inc, Philippines, Technology•

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters
Association, Bangladesh, textiles•

Insular Life, Philippines, Insurance

Beauty Connection Spa, UAE, Leisure•Interloop, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Textiles•

BRAC Bank, Bangladesh, Banking•

Kipco, Kuwait and MENA Region, Investment•

BSR, Asia, NGO•

Manorama Industries Limited, India, Food Industry•

Busy Bees Asia, Singapore and Vietnam,
Early childhood education•

National Foods Limited, Pakistan, Foods••

Nestle Pakistan, Pakistan, Food & Beverage•

Coverfox, India, Insurance•

Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank,
Vietnam, Banking•

DBL Group, Bangladesh, Textiles•

WhiteSwan Consulting Group, India,
Management Consulting

Africa • The Americas • Asia • Europe •Global/Multi-Region*Companies and organizations may also operate in regions outside of the region/countries identified in this pubilcation.

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AnnexCompany Submissions Worldwide
Europe•Avon, Global Personal Products•

Orange Moldova, Moldova, Telco•

Diageo, United Kingdom, Food and Beverage••

Genesis College, Romania, Education

Responsible Jewellery Council, United Kingdom,
Jewellery•

Guipup, Spain, Sales•

Sparta Global, United Kingdom, Technology•

Gyana Limited, United Kingdom, Big Data & Artificial
Intelligence•

Tbilisi Transport Company LLC, Georgia, Transport••

Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy, Banking and Insurance

The Do Good Only Company, the Netherlands,
Technology•

L’Oreal, France, Cosmetics and Personal Products•

Unilever, United Kingdom and the Netherlands,
Consumer goods•

LAB LT, Georgia, Information Technology••

McCann Yerevan, Armenia, Advertising

Women Entrepreneurship Platform, Belgium,
Entrepreneurship•

Mtavari Channel LLC, Georgia, Broadcasting Media

Africa • The Americas • Asia • Europe •Global/Multi-Region*Companies and organizations may also operate in regions outside of the region/countries identified in this pubilcation.

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AnnexCompany Submissions Worldwide
Global / Multi-Region•

AXA, Global, Insurance••

Bridge International Academies, Kenya, Nigeria,
Uganda, Liberia, India, Education

Lonadek Global Services, United Kingdom andNigeria, Energy•

ONET/NGO, Tunisia and EU, Education•

Citi, Global, Finance, (including Citi Foundation)•

Siemens, Global, Technology•

Edelman, Global, Marketing and Communications•

Includovate, Australia and Ethiopia, Development

Africa • The Americas • Asia • Europe •Global/Multi-Region*Companies and organizations may also operate in regions outside of the region/countries identified in this pubilcation.

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AnnexAdditional resources
to support the implementation of gender-sensitive policies during COVID-19• UN Women. COVID-19 and Gender Rapid Self-Assessment Tool
• UN Women. Attracting and Retaining Talent through Inclusive Family-Friendly Policies Guidance Note
• UN Women. Strengthening Support for Women Entrepreneurs in COVID-19 Response and Recovery Advocacy Tool
• UN Women. The COVID-19 Shadow Pandemic: Domestic Violence in the World of Work - A Call to Action for the Private Sector• UN Women. COVID-19 and Gender Equality: A Call to Action for the Private Sector• UN Women. Gender-Responsive Procurement• UN Women. Tackling Sexual Harassment In the World of Work
• UN Women and UNDP. COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker Fact Sheets• Gender Finance Collective and 2X Challenge, 2020. 2X Challenge and Gender Finance Collaborative response to the COVID-19 pandemic• IFC. Childcare in the COVID-19 Era: A Guide for Employers, a companion to IFC’s Global Guide for Employer-Supported Childcare• IFC. Guidance Note for Employers on COVID-19 and GBV Workplace Risks and Responses• IFC. COVID-19 and the Insurance Industry: Why a Gender-Sensitive Response Matters• IFC. COVID-19 and Gender Equality: Six Actions for the Private Sector

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Endnotes

1.

2.

3.

UN Women, ‘COVID-19 and Gender Equality: A Call To Action For The Private
Sector’, April 2020, https://www.weps.org/sites/default/files/2020-05/WEPS%20COVID-19_Final_%2020%20May.pdf, accessed 23 November 2020
UN Women, ‘From Insight to Action’, 2020, https://www.unwomen.org/-/
media/headquarters/attachments/sections/library/publications/2020/
gender-equality-in-the-wake-of-covid-19-en.pdf?la=en&vs=5142, accessed
1 December 2020.

9.

Ibid.

10. UN Women, The COVID-19 Shadow Pandemic: Domestic Violence in the Worldof Work – A Call to Action for the Private Sector, May 2020, https://www.weps.
org/resource/covid-19-shadow-pandemic-domestic-violence-world-workcall-action-private-sector, accessed 23 November 2020.
11.

The WEPs – established by UN Women and the UN Global Compact in 2010, areinformed by international labour and human rights standards and groundedin the recognition that businesses have a stake in, and a responsibility for, genderequality and women’s empowerment. See more here: www.weps.org

18. Jeffrey Kluger, ‘The Coronavirus Pandemic’s Outsized Effect on Women’s Mental Health Around the World’, September 2020, https://time.com/5892297/
women-coronavirus-mental-health/#:~:text=In%20a%20new%20study%20
conducted,suffering%20from%20significant%20mental%20health, accessed
23 November 2020.
19. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, “COVID-19 pandemic adversely affecting mental health of women and people with children” October 2020, https://www.camh.ca/en/camh-news-and-stories/covid-19-pandemic-adverselyaffecting-mental-health-of-women-and-people-with-children, accessed 2
December 2020.

McKinsey & Company, ‘COVID-19 and gender equality: Countering the regressive
effects’, July 2020, https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/future-ofwork/covid-19-and-gender-equality-countering-the-regressive-effects,
accessed 23 November 2020.

12. See: https://www.weps.org/resource-category/covid-19-resources

4.

Ibid.

13. See: IFC, ‘IFC’s Work on Gender’, http://www.ifc.org/gender5.

Connor Perrett, “Nearly 60% of people who have lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic are women, according to report” (2020). Available at: https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-unemployment-women-60percent-2020-4, accessed December 1 2020.

14. IFC’s approach is guided by the World Bank Group Gender Strategy with fourpillars of engagement: 1) improving human endowments – health, educationand social protection; 2) removing constraints for more and better jobs; 3)
removing barriers to women’s control over assets; and 4) enhancing women’svoice and agency and engaging men and boys.

6.

Chawla, Megha, Prapti Sahni and Kamayani Sadhwani, ‘Can Covid-19 Be theTurning Point for Women Entrepreneurs in India?’, October 2020, https://www.bain.com/insights/can-covid-19-be-the-turning-point-for-womenentrepreneurs-in-india/, accessed 23 November 2020.

15. See: IFC, Childcare in the COVID-19 Era: A Guide for Employers, 2020, http://
www.ifc.org/tacklingchildcare/covid19, accessed 23 November 2020.

22. American Psychiatric Association Foundation, Center for Workplace Mental
Health, ‘Making the Business Case’, 2020, http://workplacementalhealth.org/
Making-The-Business-Case, accessed 23 November 2020.

7.

IFC, Gendered Impacts of COVID-19 on Small and Medium-Sized Businesses in
Sri Lanka, 2020, https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/region__ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/south+asia/resources/gendered+impacts+of+
covid19+on+small+and+medium+sized+enterprises+in+sri+lanka, accessed 23
November 2020.

16. See: IFC, COVID-19 and Gender-Based Violence: Workplace Risks and Responses, 2020, https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/topics_ext_content/ifc_
external_corporate_site/gender+at+ifc/resources/covid19+and+gender+based+violence+workplace+risks+and+responses, accessed 23 November 2020.

23. Center for Global Development, ‘How Will COVID-19 Affect Women and Girls in
Low- and Middle-Income Countries?’, March 2020, https://www.cgdev.org/
blog/how-will-covid-19-affect-women-and-girls-low-and-middle-incomecountries, accessed 23 November 2020.

17. See: IFC, COVID-19 and the Insurance Industry: Why a Gender-Sensitive Response Matters, 2020, https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/topics_ext_
content/ifc_external_corporate_site/gender+at+ifc/resources/women+insurance+and+covid19, accessed 23 November 2020.

24. Esuna Dugarova, “Unpaid care work in times of the COVID-19 crisis: Gendered
impacts, emerging evidence and promising policy responses” 2020, https://www.un.org/development/desa/family/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/
2020/09/Duragova.Paper_.pdf, accessed 2 December 2020.

8.

UN Women, ‘COVID-19 and Gender Equality: A Call To Action For The Private
Sector’.

20. UN Women, ‘Unlocking the lockdown: The gendered effects of COVID-19 onachieving the SDGS in Asia and the Pacific’, July 2020, https://data.unwomen.
org/publications/unlocking-lockdown-gendered-effects-covid-19-achieving-sdgs-asia-and-pacific, accessed 23 November 2020.
21. Jeffrey Kluger, ‘The Coronavirus Pandemic’s Outsized Effect on Women’s
Mental Health Around the World’, September 2020.

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Endnotes

25. IFC, Childcare in the COVID-19 Era: A Guide for Employers, 2020.
26. GSMA, The Mobile Gender Gap Report 2020, 2020, https://www.gsma.com/
mobilefordevelopment/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/GSMA-The-MobileGender-Gap-Report-2020.pdf, accessed 23 November 2020.
27. See: Strengthening Support for Women Entrepreneurs Amid COVID-19.
28. IFC, IFC Guidance Note: COVID-19 and Gender Equality – Six Actions for the Private
Sector, 2020, https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/topics_ext_content/
ifc_external_corporate_site/gender+at+ifc/resources/covid+and+gender+actions+for+the+private+sector, accessed 23 November 2020.
29. Ibid.
30. IFC, IFC Guidance Note: COVID-19 and Gender Equality – Six Actions for thePrivate Sector.
31. Ibid.
32. United Nations, Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Women, April 2020,
https://www.un.org/sexualviolenceinconflict/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/report/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women/policy-briefthe-impact-of-covid-19-on-women-en-1.pdf, accessed 23 November 2020.
33. IFC, SHEforSHIELD: Insure Women to Better Protect All, 2015, https://www.ifc.
org/wps/wcm/connect/Topics_Ext_Content/IFC_External_Corporate_Site/
Gender+at+IFC/Resources/2015-SheforShield, accessed 23 November 2020.
34. World Bank, ‘Women, Business and the Law’, https://wbl.worldbank.org/en/
data/exploretopics/wbl_ma, accessed 23 November 2020.
35. IFC, IFC Guidance Note: COVID-19 and Gender Equality – Six Actions for thePrivate Sector, 2020.

36. Miller, Margaret, Leora Klapper, Ghada Teima and Matthew Gamser, ‘How candigital financial services help a world coping with COVID-19?’, August 2020.
https://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/how-can-digital-financial-services-helpworld-coping-covid-19, accessed December 1 2020.
37. Jade Hachem and Gillette Conner, “Reducing financial vulnerabilities for women
entrepreneurs during COVID-19” May 2020. https://www.smefinanceforum.
org/post/reducing-financial-vulnerabilities-for-women-entrepreneurs-during-covid-19, accessed 2 December 2020.
38. Ibid.
39. Since 2017, IFC has been developing customized gender-sensitivity training
programmes for IFC clients’ staff and agents. The training equips agents withthe knowledge and tools they need to better serve women customers andempathize with them.
40. Since 2017, IFC has been developing customized gender-sensitivity training
programmes for IFC clients’ staff and agents. The training equips agents withthe knowledge and tools they need to better serve women customers andempathize with them.
41. Meester, Jos and Machteld Ooijens, ‘COVID-19 Impact Value Chain – Conceptual
paper’, June 2020, https://www.clingendael.org/sites/default/files/2020-06/
Conceptual_paper_COVID-19_Impact_on_the_Value_Chain_June_2020.pdf,
accessed 23 November 2020.
42. Ibid.
43. IFC, IFC Guidance Note: COVID-19 and Gender Equality – Six Actions for thePrivate Sector, 2020.
44. Ibid.

45. WEConnect International, ‘The Impact of COVID-19 on Women Business Owners’, 2020, https://media-weconnectinternational-org.s3.amazonaws.com/
2020/10/COVID-Infographic-Q2-Final.pdf, accessed 23 November 2020.
46. IFC, IFC Guidance Note: COVID-19 and Gender Equality – Six Actions for thePrivate Sector, 2020.
47. Ibid.
48. Ibid.
49. European Commission, ‘Gender-based violence (GBV) by definition’, (n.d.).
https://ec.europa.eu/info/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/gender-equality/gender-based-violence/what-gender-based-violence_en, accessed
23 November 2020.
50. Ibid.
51. IFC, COVID-19 and Gender-Based Violence: Workplace Risks and Responses,
2020.
52. UN Women, The COVID-19 Shadow Pandemic: Domestic Violence in the Worldof Work – A Call to Action for the Private Sector.
53. Jonathan Forani and Omar Sachedina, “Domestic violence increases with ‘stayhome’ pandemic response” April 2020, https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/domestic-violence-increases-with-stay-home-pandemic-response-1.4885597, accessed 2 December 2020.
54. IFC, IFC Guidance Note: COVID-19 and Gender Equality – Six Actions for thePrivate Sector, 2020.
55. UN Women, The COVID-19 Shadow Pandemic: Domestic Violence in the Worldof Work – A Call to Action for the Private Sector, May 2020,

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Endnotes

56. IFC, IFC Guidance Note: COVID-19 and Gender Equality – Six Actions for thePrivate Sector, 2020.
57. Ibid.
58. IFC, COVID-19 and Gender-Based Violence: Workplace Risks and Responses,
2020.
59. UN WOMEN, Tackling Sexual Harassment In the World of Work, 2020, Available
at: https://www.weps.org/sites/default/files/2020-09/WEPs%20GUIDANCE%20%E2%80%A2%20Sexual%20Harassment%20%28final%29.pdf, accessed
3 December 2020.

The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of theauthors and do not necessarily reflect the views of theEuropean Union, the United Nations and their member States,and IFC.

60. Ibid.
61. Ibid.
62. UN Women, The COVID-19 Shadow Pandemic: Domestic Violence in the Worldof Work – A Call to Action for the Private Sector, May 2020,
63. Ibid.

Acknowledgments
This publication was jointly prepared by the United Nations Entity
for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
under the WE EMPOWER – G7 Programme and the IFC. The publication was led by Stephanie Dei, Anna Fälth and Nancy Mitchell of
UN Women and Henriette Kolb, Rudaba Zehra Nasir, and Evangelia
Tsiftsi of IFC.
Design: Oliver Gantner
Editing: ProseWorks

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