This theme celebrates the efforts put forth by women and girls around the world in shaping a more equal future. Efforts such as those by Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, both women doing an incredible job leading the COVID-19 response. It also calls for women’s right to leadership and decision-making in all areas of life, including equal pay, equal sharing of unpaid work, ending gender-based violence, and creating access to health-care services.
As we enter the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, research shows how the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted women by further exacerbating inequalities and social disparities. An article published in frontiers in Global Women’s Health entitled “Are Pandemics Gender Neutral? Women’s Health and COVID-19” discusses the effects of pandemics on women around the globe, beyond the threat of illness.
Gender Disparities and COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a threat to women’s health services, including sexual and reproductive health. Many countries are diverting funding to pandemic responses, impacting funding for women’s health services. This is compounded by intersecting inequalities, such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and geographic location, which influence access to critical health services. Women and girls are already less likely to have access to health services, essential medicines and vaccines, and reproductive health care, especially in rural and marginalized communities, all of which is further impacted during a global health crisis.
Globally, women make up 70% of the healthcare and social services workforce, the majority of which are nurses, midwives, and community health workers. In China, where women form 90% of the healthcare workforce in some provinces, a study investigating health outcomes of frontline workers found that women and nurses were at a higher risk of depression, anxiety, insomnia, and distress. This increased burden of care also compounds with the fact that women tend to take up more unpaid caregiver responsibilities. With children out of school, ill family members, and overwhelmed health services, demands for unpaid care work have intensified.
Violence against women and girls is increasing globally. Economic and social stress coupled with lockdowns and isolation put women at a higher risk of domestic and sexual abuse as they are likely to spend more time with their abusers. Factors such as crowded homes, lack of private spaces, substance abuse, and limited access to support services are exacerbating this issue. Data from early in the pandemic reported an increase in violence against women around the world, with surges upwards of 33% in some countries. With many domestic violence shelters having to temporarily close due to COVID-19, women often have no options to get to safety.
The good news is that many countries have already put in place measures to assist women. Costa Rica has reduced all interest rates for credit to projects that target priority sectors of the population, including women. In China, the hashtag #AntiDomesticViolenceDuringEpidemic took off, providing advocacy and links to resources. Colombia has guaranteed continued access to virtual gender-based violence services. In addition, the UN is working with Governments and partners around the world to ensure continued attention to sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls.
A Call to Action
United Nations and frontiers call for similar strategies to assist women and girls during the COVID-19 pandemic. Women’s health needs to be prioritized – as frontline health workers, primary caregivers, and citizens, women need access to healthcare as well as adequate PPE. Access to sexual and reproductive healthcare should not be neglected or defunded, especially during a pandemic. Equal representation from women needs to be ensured in all COVID-19 response planning and decision-making, including economic recovery measures, health impacts, and violence prevention services.
