Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic has shone a light on gender inequalities, including increased time women and girls spend caring for household members, and vulnerabilities faced by paid care workers, often women working informally. Using a global database on social protection responses to COVID-19, focusing on social assistance, social insurance and labour market programmes, this paper asks if and how these responses have integrated care considerations. We found that while many countries addressed at least one aspect of care (paid or unpaid), primarily through social assistance measures, very few address both types of care. Implications for the current policy response to COVID-19 (and beyond)from a care lens are discussed.