IMF urges swift action to protect women from Covid-19 economic hit

Pandemic could reverse progress for women all over the world without governments taking powerful measures

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Governments around the world have been warned by the International Monetary Fund to take swift action to limit the economic damage for women that has been unleashed by Covid-19.

Sounding the alarm over the disproportionate impact on women amid the worst global recession since the 1930s Great Depression, the Washington-based organisation said the pandemic threatened to roll back gains in women's economic opportunities, widening gender gaps that persist despite 30 years of progress.

Related: Spend what you can to fight Covid-19, IMF tells member states