CoR calls for action as pandemic widens gender gap and women represent only 30% of the 1 million local EU politicians

Women have been disproportionately affected by the COVID pandemic: they are at greater risk of exposure to the virus as a majority of health and care workers are women, and their employment has been hit worse than men’s as women work in the most affected sectors by the COVID-19 crisis, with potential long-term impacts on pay and career. The lockdowns have widened the existing gender divide in unpaid care work, led to an increase in domestic violence against women, and disrupted access to support services.