Women as a group have been hit disproportionately hard by the corona crisis, says Atria knowledge institute for emancipation and women’s history. During the crisis, women took on more care tasks at home than men, but because they also work more often in so-called crucial professions, they also worked more hours there.
Women have therefore started to worry more and work more during the crisis, states Atria. The institute surveyed 1,300 people between the ages of 25 and 35 during the first corona wave and combined the results of that research with those of several studies into work division in corona time. According to Atria it is about the first extensive Dutch overview of all areas in which women have been affected by the corona crisis.
Recoil for position woman
Women were more likely than men to have mental health problems and to function less well at work. They also gave up much more free time than men. Among other things, women took on additional care tasks. As a result, ‘traditional ideas about division of labor and parenting have become stronger’, Atria reports. “The corona measures therefore formed a setback for the position of women in the Netherlands.”
During the first lockdown, children were no longer able to go to school. Women more often took over the care of their offspring, the knowledge institute said on the basis of the survey. About 34 percent of the women indicated that they take on more care tasks, compared to 23 percent of the men. At the same time, women in sectors such as healthcare also started to work more hours there.
Greater loss of income
About 60 percent of crucial professions are performed by women. The proportion of young women who went to work more was about 16 percent, compared to 13.5 percent of young men. Atria conducted the survey among young people, because they are usually in the busiest phase of their lives, when they have young children and combine that with work.
Women who do not work in crucial professions are more often employed in sectors that had to close during the corona crisis, such as tourism, sex work and the cultural sector. In particular, people who worked part-time more often lost their job during the corona crisis, and women are overrepresented in that group. That is why the proportion of women who have started working less in those sectors is also greater (about 21 percent) than the proportion of men (15.5 percent). This led to a greater loss of income among women. Government measures to compensate for this loss of income were not equally accessible in all sectors. For example, sex workers have to deal with debts due to the corona crisis.
Government recommendations
Overall, the pressure on women increased more during the corona crisis than on men, the institute concludes. Atria wants the government to take a closer look at the unequal impact of those measures on men and women when introducing measures in the future. Part of this should be a better mapping of the different consequences of decisions for men and women.
Atria also recommends ensuring that women are adequately represented in the fight against epidemics, so that their perspectives are “adequately weighed in policy.” The House of Representatives will discuss the permanent corona law this week.
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