The Gender Gap in COVID-19 Deaths, Peace Setbacks in Afghanistan, and More

May 16, 2020

Men wearing protective face masks are seen in Tooting, following the outbreak of COVID-19.

COVID-19 is much more fatal for men, especially when taking age into account

Men and women have similar odds of contracting the coronavirus, but men face a higher risk of death. Using data from the United States and abroad, Richard Reeves and Tiffany Ford examine the gender gap in the COVID-19 mortality rate and discuss some of the factors that may contribute to the disparity.

After recent violence, is Afghanistan's peace process dead?

A set of brutal attacks in Afghanistan this week have thrown the very idea of a peace process into question. Vanda Felbab-Brown writes about what happened, and what the Afghan government and elites—as well as the international community—can do regarding the ongoing negotiations amid the bloodshed.

Women's work boosts middle-class incomes but creates a family time squeeze that needs to be eased

Resolving the tension between women's role in the workforce and their role in the family has implications not just for gender equity, but also for middle-class incomes and the overall well-being of American families. Isabel Sawhill and Katherine Guyot highlight the pressures women face balancing work and family and discuss how to alleviate some of those burdens.

Must-listen podcasts

Gender equality, unpaid work, and women's suffrage. On a special episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, Isabel Sawhill hosts a conversation with Stephanie Aaronson and Molly Kinder about women's participation in the workforce and society, as well as the effects of COVID-19 on women.

Ensuring Africa has the financial resources to address COVID-19. Brahima S. Coulibaly joins David Dollar on the Dollar & Sense podcast to discuss how the coronavirus recession is hitting African countries and offers strategies to help them fight the pandemic.

How does COVID-19 unemployment compare to the Great Depression? "The Great Depression was great in many dimensions, but it wasn't as sudden as the downturn we're currently experiencing." On a new episode of The Current, Gary Burtless explains what's different about the current economic crisis.

A note on the Brookings response to COVID-19:

The Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. will be closed through at least June 1. For more information, read our full guidance here. As Brookings experts continue to assess the global impacts of COVID-19, read the latest analysis and policy recommendations at our coronavirus page or stay up to date with our coronavirus newsletter.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

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