Women’s political empowerment, economic development, and democracy around COVID-19: a cross-country analysis

We study the effect of Women’s Political Empowerment (WPE) on COVID-19 contagion using a sample of 48 countries during the pandemic. We find that the number of COVID-19 cases is lower in countries with better WPE. Channels’ analyses show that the effect of WPE on COVID-19 contagion is more pronounced in democratic countries and in countries with better economic development. The findings underscore the importance of diverse and gender-inclusive leadership in crisis management. As for policy implications, we show that fostering women empowerment in politics not only advances gender equality but also contributes to a more resilient economy through effective health crisis preparedness and well-crafted response strategies.