The impact of Covid-19 crisis on women on the frontline response in EU

The impact of Covid-19 crisis on women
    on the frontline response in EU
                                 NATACHA AMORA • ANALYST • JULY 30 2020

Photo credit: Alvaro Isidoro, Portugal

Summary
Frontline workers during the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) are more likely to be women, as they
represent the vast majority of healthcare, childcare and aged-care workers, cleaners, and supermarket cashiers
in the European Union (EU) (EIGE, 2020). As such, women are more exposed to infection and subject to higher
levels of stress and mental pressure, due to the exposure to the virus, long working hours, lack of rest, stigma,
and physical and psychological violence (WHO). In addition to their professional tasks, the lives of women are

also impacted at home, where they have to deal with the increased burden of supporting children in
homeschooling on top of the routinely household tasks, which rise with family home confinement. To ensure
that the gendered impact of COVID-19 is addressed and women’s rights are protected, governments should
design women-led policies, through empowerment of women as leaders, equal representation, and decision-
making power in developing policies in response to COVID-19 and beyond (Guterres, 2020).

Background
The COVID-19 pandemic is not only a health crisis, but also a social and economic one as a result of its spread
and the resulting containment measures taken by governments. Although it is important to take into account
the health, social, and economic impact from COVID-19, it is also necessary to assess and respond to the
gendered impact, as the disease affects women and men differently.

According to data from the European Institute for Gender Equality (EIGE) (EIGE, 2020), women amount to 76%
of healthcare workers in the EU and represent a vast majority of workers in other sectors like personal care
workers, (daily care to elderly and disabled individuals), health services (86%), domestic cleaners and helpers,
(95%), and shop assistants and cashiers (82%) at food stores and supermarkets. Women therefore bear the
burden of health work and essential services in spite of being undervalued and underpaid, as evidenced by
gender haps and segregation patterns (Humbert, 2020). In addition, women are more likely to have precarious
jobs, and are therefore not entitled to sick leave, parental leave, or unemployment subvention, which weakens
their ability to overcome from the pandemic crisis’ effects (Davis, 2020).

U N EQ U A L IM PACT
Women working in the health sector include doctors, nurses, midwives, community health workers, and facility
support staff like cleaners, laundry, and catering. They are under extreme pressure due to the long working
hours, fatigue, lack of resources, inadequate gear often designed to fit men, congested health services, and
risk of contagion for them and their families, requiring special attention to their health, psychosocial needs,
and work environment.

In the EU it is estimated that, on average, 13% of key workers in the pandemic crisis response are migrants.
This percentage goes up to 20% in Italy, Belgium and Germany, and to 53% in Luxembourg (Fasani, 2020). The
percentage of women per profession for migrants is similar as per non-migrants (Fasani, 2020). Migrants
experience double discrimination through both low-paid and casual work, without access to protective
measures like sick and parental leaves, or access to healthcare (Davis, 2020).

Domestic workers and caregivers, of which 83% are women (EIGE, 2020), also need dedicated consideration,
particularly to those working as caregivers for elderly or dependent people, where confinement restrictions
force them to remain in the houses in which they work, sometimes without adequate protection and without
being able to return to their homes and attend to their own families, where the largest share of the burden of
care work falls on women (OECD, 2014).

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At the same time, women continue to perform most of the domestic and care work, paid and unpaid, the
amount of which has increased with the schools’ closure. Several had to quit their jobs as they have to care for
their children and family. Single-parents, of which eight out of 10 are women, have become more vulnerable
with this crisis, as they struggle to combine work and family care when schools are closed and families are
confined to their homes.

Furthermore, women on the frontline are many times deprived of health support (either mental or sexual
health and maternal care) as the present focus of healthcare is responding to the virus, and many other health
services are not being provided.

N A T IO N A L G O V ERN M EN T RES P O N S ES IN T HE EU
EU states have responded to the emergency crisis by enforcing special measures to contain the spread of the
virus, and approving economic aid and recovery measures to the economic sectors most affected by the
restrictions. With regard to measures promoting and protecting women’s rights, the common response by EU
states include measures to fight the rise of domestic violence and ensure protection to victims in times of
confinement; exceptional parental leave and allowances for parents required to take care of homeschooled
children; and ensuring that sexual health emergencies are not suspended (pregnancy needs, abortions). Some
countries have gone a bit further and taken innovative and exceptional measures (Europe Council, 2020) but
none have conducted a gender analysis of the outbreak so far (Wenham, 2020).

Belgium ensured automatic payment from the Government of the parental obligations when the parents
(mostly fathers) cannot fulfill them as parents were laid off. Italy created the ‘Babysitter Bonus’ enabling
essential workers to hire childcare for their home. Austria, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal
kept some childcare facilities and schools opened for essential staff’s children (Cattaneo, 2020). The Czech
Republic approved a bonus for healthcare frontline workers, and the government is expanding economic aid
to cover precarious jobs, most staffed by women (Europe Council, 2020). Romania approved flexible hours,
financial bonuses, and accommodation for medical staff, 75% of which are women. Germany enacted a bill to
make it easier for unpaid workers to access social security and social services (Europe Council, 2020). With
regard to migrant workers, Ireland created a dedicated team to deal with their specific problems, while
Portugal granted temporary residence permits, allowing access to medical care and other rights including
housing, and bank accounts. Finally, Sweden extended several labour market integration programmes for 12
months, allowing migrants to remain employed (Europe Council, 2020).

Despite the above measures, “gender expertise is lacking in pandemic planning, outbreak response and post-
pandemic recovery” (Evans, 2020). Women are often underrepresented in decision-making processes and,
consequently, the negative gender impact and its economic and social consequences aggravate inequalities.

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Policy Recommendations

 •   Balanced gender representation in COVID-19 planning response and decision making, where the
     voices of women on the frontline, women’s associations, and gender experts are heard.

 •   Gender mainstreaming of the pandemic impact to understand and recognize the different effects of
     the outbreak on individuals and communities and to not perpetuate inequalities.

 •   Transform inequalities of unpaid care work into a new, inclusive care economy.

 •   Design protective measures to support and assist frontline workers in their needs (health, safety,
     work conditions, equipment, family support) and addressing inequalities.

 •   Centre women in all efforts to address the socio-economic impact of COVID-19.

 •   Ensure that economic investment to support the economy covers all sectors and not only those
     where men are largely employed.

 •   Dedicate funding to support the economic empowerment of women and ensure the rights of women
     are protected and prioritised.

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