CHALLENGING TIMES
Women’s lives in lockdown While women everywhere are facing new challenges in these troubling times, NWR members are lucky to have a ready-made support network, writes Judith Charlton. As NWR members celebrated Diamond Day on 26 February, coronavirus was unlikely to have been uppermost in their thoughts. There were just 13 recorded cases in the UK, none of them home grown, and the first recorded British death two days later took place in Japan, onboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship. Yes, cases were surging in the far east and there was lockdown in Lombardy, but we still couldn’t quite imagine it happening to us. But by the time the World Health Organisation confirmed the virus to be a pandemic, on 11 March, we were left in little doubt. Supermarket shelves were being stripped bare, theatres and cinemas emptying and sporting fixtures and festivals being cancelled. The lockdown announcement on 23 March was to some extent a relief: at least we knew where we stood. What now for NWR? Well, 60 years’ experience of women supporting women would not go to waste. Across the country people were scrambling to form networks to support their neighbours: we had one ready-made. Formed in the days of snail mail and landlines, now we also had technology on our side. One of NWR’s strengths is that, as well as being a national organisation, it is also a collection of small autonomous groups which can rapidly change and adapt in whatever way best suits their members. Soon many groups were mastering video communication software such as Zoom, and continuing to meet virtually. Others use email to stay connected, or Whatsapp, while, for those who prefer traditional methods, several telephone trees have been established. Topics for meetings range from astronomy to limerick writing to bucket lists for 2021, and members are mindful of the need to look for the positive aspects rather than the limitations of NWR members around the country enjoy a virtual quiz night
their new situation, by sharing photos of beautiful garden flowers, or anecdotes about their daily walks. At least one group has declared their meetings a COVID-free zone, in the same way that talk of children and housework was discouraged in the early days. Book groups continue – we have plenty of time to read – and members exchange tips about online exercise classes, where to buy seedlings and soil, which restaurants are offering takeaway food, and numerous other services that might make isolation more bearable. Staff and trustees were also well placed to adapt to the restrictions of lockdown: being spread out around the country, they are used to working and meeting remotely. Soon a Clothing historian Lucy Adlington giving an online talk for NWR members on the history of knitting
programme of virtual events was being rolled out, including a subscription to an online theatre offering, and online quizzes and speakers, which have been much appreciated. However, it is probably fair to say that, in some ways, NWR members have less to lose from the coronavirus crisis than many women. Our age profile means that the majority of us are not having to reinvent ourselves as home educators at the same time as endeavouring to hold down a job – indeed, retirement means that, for many, loss of employment and income is not a fear. So, what of women in the wider world? Although we have learnt that women are less likely than men to die from the virus, there are other ways in which they are disproportionately affected. To start with, women are more likely than men to do jobs that put them on the front line of the battle against COVID-19: World Health Organisation figures show that, globally, 70% of workers in the health and social sector are women. In Europe, 84% of nurses are female. In addition, women are much more likely to be unpaid care givers: according to the International Labour Organisation
A virus called Covid-19 Is all around though quite unseen Our lives have changed We are all deranged But our houses are sparkly clean 8
NWR Magazine 1960–2020