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| Relation between pandemic and women’s participation | | |
Dr. Rajkumar Singh
Women comprise the majority of frontline healthcare workers globally, meaning that female representation is vital in tackling the coronavirus crisis. 70% of the world's healthcare staff are made up of women, but only 25% of global leaders are female. Without women in these positions, women's issues could fail to be addressed throughout the crisis. Solving health emergencies like COVID-19 demands the best minds the world has to offer – in health systems strengthening, therapeutic Research and Development and more. We know diverse teams lead to more innovation, and neglecting half the talent pool limits our ability to make life-saving choices. Leaders dictate where funding and research goes, from vaccine development to social safety nets. Without women in these positions, subsequent decisions will not adequately address the hurdles women face. Already, women comprise the bulk of the world’s frontline health workers, shouldering the burden of strenuous work, while increasing their own risk of infection. With the novel coronavirus, women have played a central role.
Global status of women
Beyond this, health emergencies impact men and women differently. Sometimes the impacts are obvious, as was the case with pregnant women in the Zika outbreak. Other times, they are more subtle. Times of crises can exacerbate gender inequalities, like access to paid work, or leave women vulnerable to poorer health outcomes, like during the 2014 Ebola outbreak where resources diverted from obstetrics care contributed to a spike in maternal deaths. While early studies suggest that men are at a higher risk of dying from the coronavirus than women, women will likely be disproportionately affected in myriad ways, from the impact of school closures to a growing need for care of sick individuals at home. We must also address the challenges women face as a result of prolonged quarantining, such as spikes in domestic violence. According to a recent report submitted by the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board – co-convened by the World Bank Group and the World Health Organization – called for more women leaders as a vital part of preparedness efforts. Yet when analyzing recent emergencies, it is all too clear that little has been done to ensure that women’s voices are reflected at the decision-making table and – likely, as a result – gender is often ignored in responses. This is unsurprising – the lack of women in these roles reflects a global health field with stark gender inequalities. The 2020 Global Health 50/50 report, which evaluates gender parity in global health organizations, shows that decision-making bodies are still predominately male, and if current trends persist, gender parity at the CEO level is still 40 years away.
Challenges of gender discrimination
As the virus continues to spread, governments, research labs and health facilities should commit to ensuring that women in leadership is not the exception, but the norm. Collecting sex-disaggregated data must also be prioritized so we can better understand the unique impact women as compared to men. More broadly, we must build the systems to support women’s leadership in global health before the next disaster strikes. We can do this by equipping women with the skills, training and opportunities to rise to the top, and advocating for systemic changes – like closing the pay gap – to change the face of global health leadership As new COVID-19 cases emerge daily, we have no time to lose.
Prioritizing women’s voices in the response will set us up for a more equitable, healthier future while saving lives today. Early data indicates that the mortality rates from COVID-19 may be higher for men. But the pandemic is having devastating social and economic consequences for women and girls. COVID-19 could reverse the limited progress that has been made on gender equality and women’s rights – and recommends ways to put women’s leadership and contributions at the heart of resilience and recovery. Nearly 60 per cent of women around the world work in the informal economy, earning less, saving less, and at greater risk of falling into poverty. As markets fall and businesses close, millions of women’s jobs have disappeared. At the same time as they are losing paid employment, women’s unpaid care work has increased exponentially as a result of school closures and the increased needs of older people. These currents are combining as never before to defeat women’s rights and deny women’s opportunities.
Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to getting through this pandemic together. Progress lost takes years to regain. Teenage girls out of school may never return. We request governments to put women and girls at the centre of their efforts to recover from COVID-19. That starts with women as leaders, with equal representation and decision-making power. Measures to protect and stimulate the economy, from cash transfers to credits and loans, must be targeted at women. Social safety nets must be expanded. Unpaid care work must be recognized and valued as a vital contribution to the economy. The pandemic has also led to a horrifying increase in violence against women. Nearly one in five women worldwide has experienced violence in the past year. Many of these women are now trapped at home with their abusers, struggling to access services that are suffering from cuts and restrictions. COVID-19 is not only challenging global health systems, but testing our common humanity. Gender equality and women’s rights are essential to getting through this pandemic together, to recovering faster, and to building a better future for everyone.
Negative impacts of pandemic on women
Women are hardest hit by the current COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts. Beyond the direct effect of the infection by the coronavirus, women’s health and safety are at greater risk as increased prevalence of domestic violence and abuse is reported and sexual and reproductive health services are reduced. In this time of unprecedented crisis, women also face an increased burden of care and subsequent risk of getting sick because they represent the majority of front-line healthcare workers and caregivers in homes and communities globally. This is all in addition to the disproportionate indirect impact of the pandemic on women’s livelihoods everywhere. With the majority of women working in the informal economy, they often lack health insurance and social security, putting them further at risk.
Representation always matters, especially in times of crisis. The ways we respond to the pandemic and its ramifications will challenge democratic institutions in an unprecedented way if the appropriate steps are not taken. With elections being postponed or remote voting anticipated, parliaments closing or deliberations taking place online, and traditional media spaces reduced, women’s voices may be further silenced as gender equality issues move to the back burner. To ensure an optimal relief and recovery response without compromising women’s safety and rights, governments and decision-makers across all sectors must include a gender perspective in all decisions. Gender-sensitive policies that recognize and respond to women’s needs will benefit not just women but society at large. Otherwise, the stakes are too high to ignore women’s voices and the perspectives and resources they bring to the forefront. The present pandemic raises awareness about the lack of women’s leadership and representation in relief and recovery decision-making and on the importance of incorporating gender-sensitive responses during and after the crisis. |
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