Men outnumber women three to one on COVID-19 task forces

Ecuadorian visitors Massiel Casiguano and Georgina Reinoso pose for a selfie in front of the U.S. Capitol as security fencing was recently scaled back, in Washington, U.S., March 22, 2021. [Reuters]

Men outnumber women three to one on government coronavirus task forces globally, a disparity that risks creating an unequal recovery, the United Nations warned on Monday.

Women made up just 24% of representatives on task forces set up to manage the recovery in 137 countries examined in a study by the U.N. and the University of Pittsburgh's Gender Inequality Research Lab. Of the 225 task forces, 26 had no women at all.