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The COVID-19 pandemic, with its profound and devastating effects in terms of human suffering, economic losses and social disruptions,has exposed the interconnectedness of our societies and the extent of inequalities within and between countries. A common agenda, as called for by the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, is critical to rebuilding our world on more equal, inclusive and sustainable grounds. The declaration on the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the UN advocates a renewed social contract, anchored in human rights. A human-centred recovery from the pandemic requires increasing global investment in universal social protections, accelerating the creation of decent work and committing to closing gender inequalities. This entails, among others, reconsidering how we value women’s work and the relative importance of sectors within the economy. In so doing, we need to do better in giving greater value to what matters most to people. This report takes an important step in this direction by providing the most comprehensive and in-depth analysis of the gender pay gap in the health and care sector – a sector in which women predominate. Evidence shows that while being ever present, women wage earners are paid approximately 20% less than men and that only a small fraction of this gap is due to differences in the characteristics and endowments of women and men.