Technical Brief: Socially Marginalized Groups and COVID-19

Ongoing marginalization or discrimination in societies around the world, caused and perpetuated in large part by unfair public policies, leads to certain people and groups having more or less access to resources and services based on their social class, race/ethnicity, gender, religion, migrant or citizenship status, ability, or other aspects of their identities.

The COVID 19 pandemic has exacerbated these inequalities; groups with restricted access to money, power, and resources are not only less healthy in general, but also more vulnerable to COVID 19 and disproportionately burdened by the impact of the pandemic . People living at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities poor, minority women, for instance are particularly vulnerable.

This technical brief focuses on recommendations for addressing the unequal impact of COVID 19 in the immediate response to the pandemic, but these considerations will also be necessary as societies shift to maintenance and recovery phases.

Last modified: July 21, 2020

Language: English