Unpaid care is critical for societies to function. Yet the individuals who provide this form of work – which can be worth 10 to 39 percent of economies’ GDP (UN) – are often overlooked. Women historically provided more of this work than men. While incremental gains had been made to narrow this gap, research from international organizations (UN Women, ILO, OECD) suggest that women are disproportionately shouldering even more of the care work as a result of COVID-19. This backsliding must be addressed to ensure it does not become permanent.