The great unequaliser: women in the time of Covid-19 Martha Storey, Maths and Philosophy at University College As the pandemic rages on, it becomes clearer than ever that Covid-19 is anything but an equaliser. This term, OULC held a panel about how women have been adversely affected, looking at the economic, social, and domestic implications for women. The club invited speakers who have been working to improve the lives of women in different ways. The panel made it clear that their work is not sufficient; women need more robust support in the form of legislation if we are to emerge from the pandemic with the same opportunities that we previously enjoyed.
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The furlough scheme has been lauded as a success for the government, and has undoubtedly been a lifeline for many. However it is not without its limitations, especially regarding gender equality. In every region except the West Midlands, women were more likely to be furloughed than men, and this trend was more pronounced for younger age groups. Mothers were 14% more likely to be furloughed, a statistic that fits the trend of employers treating mothers and pregnant women differently to their co-workers. It is unfortunately unsurprising that, in a time of hefty job losses and economic uncertainty, women are often the first to lose their jobs or be furloughed. Mckinsey calculated that women’s jobs are 1.8 times more vulnerable than men’s; for working mothers, this statistic is likely to be much higher. It is important that, going forward, working mothers, expecting or existent, are protected f r o m job losses and furlough. Without explicit protection, women’s jobs will always be in t h e most danger. One
of our panellists, Joeli Brearley, founded charity Pr e g n a n t T h e n Screwed,
which aims to combat discrimination against mothers and pregnant women in the workplace and beyond. Joeli told the club about how, four days after she informed her employer she was pregnant, she was sacked from her job. This led her to start Pregnant Then Screwed, which provides legal support for mothers, trains employers to treat working parents better, and proposes legislative change to improve the lives of mothers and pregnant women. In July, the charity conducted a landmark study of working mothers which displayed the importance of childcare for working women. 46% of mothers made redundant in the pandemic say the lack of childcare provision was a factor, and 51% lack the necessary childcare to enable them to work. Given that the high infection rate within schools has led to many children having to isolate frequently, this is not a problem that has disappeared since September. Women’s job security was also threatened by the move to working from home earlier this year. The unequal distribution of unpaid work in the home is well-documented, and lockdown only heightened this phenomenon, with less time in the physical workplace allowing for less time to escape the domestic burden women may face. The Institute for Fiscal Studies found that on average women were spending more time doing housework and childcare, and less time working. The same study found that women had a significantly higher proportion (57%) of their working day interrupted during lockdown than men. Interruptions in the working day are more than an inconvenience. They mean women are less focused, and able to work less productively. In a time when many companies
