With 90% of the world’s students being sent out of school because of the COVID-19 pandemic, approximately 800 million of these are girls. This short article addresses the gendered effects of school closures and the challenges faced by female academics during the COVID-19 pandemic. Touching on the hindrance of progressing with the Sustainable Development Goals and achieving gender equality, the article also draws on the sexual and reproductive health impacts of the pandemic alongside socio-economic impacts such as unpaid labour and the burden of caregiving roles.