Publication record
- Original publication period
- July–December 2021
- Digitized / uploaded online
- August 10, 2026
The digitization/upload date records when this file was added to the website; it is not the article's original publication date.
Abstract
Women were central to household and community continuity during the pandemic, yet the work through which resilience was produced was often unpaid, informal, or absent from program records. This conceptual review examines resilience through five interconnected domains: care and domestic labor, livelihood adaptation, health and food management, mutual-aid networks, and participation in decisions. Evidence through 2021 indicates that describing women as naturally resilient can conceal unequal time burdens, exposure, income loss, violence risk, and limited authority over resources. The proposed Care-to-Collective Resilience Map records contributions together with cost, control, support, safety, and voice. It asks programs to reduce burdens rather than merely celebrate them, recognize informal coordination, provide accessible services and social protection, and include diverse women in the decisions that affect their work. The framework avoids treating women as one homogeneous group and considers age, disability, household structure, livelihood, and location. This article does not estimate gender effects or represent the experience of a specific community. It offers an equity-oriented method for evaluating whether resilience initiatives sustain the people who make collective coping possible.