Women and science: a political economy preface

The Special Issue examines the consequences of the pandemic on women from the global south from countries across three continents using different types of data. Women, Pandemics and the Global South contributes to deepening our understanding of the effects of COVID on women from underprivileged countries using a data based methodological approach and complex analyses for assessing the (short term, long term and sequential) effects of various measures, among which are the initial lockdowns. The magnitude of this pandemic has few parallels in recent times. It has affected virtually every conceivable activity in our society, the economy and households. Women especially are bearing a disproportionately large brunt of the disruptions to health, livelihood and food security. This is especially so for women in poor households in the Global South who are among the most vulnerable and disadvantaged stakeholders. In this context, women scientists, here we discuss those from OWSD, have played a crucial role in fighting the pandemic on the front line through their discoveries, professionalism and dedication. The Special Issue covers countries across three continents (India, China, the Middle East, Latin America) that investigate a series of topics using case studies as well as broader research, with the cross-cutting theme of gender equality, on issues that range from the gendered impact on labour market outcomes, food security, nutrition, agrarian life in the Global South; resilience of women scientists; care work and feminist political economy; gender-sensitive policy responses; movement building responses, to name a few.