Martina Devlin: The State has added to the burden on women during this crisis
WOMEN are not more clever, imaginative, constructive, hardworking or vibrant than men. Nor are they less so. Women are not more needy, idle, helpless, shrill or vulnerable than men. Nor are they less so. So why, in an age of so-called equal opportunity, an age where gender equality is accepted widely, are women more likely to be negatively affected by Covid-19 than men?
Under lockdown, women are struggling with a heavier childcare burden, including home schooling. In general, they take greater responsibility for elder care. They’re doing more of the housework. And dealing with a spike in domestic violence.
The new reality is tough on everyone, but particularly taxing for women. Current restrictions mean they can’t outsource care to private providers. And when the State sets aside some of its obligations, for example on schooling, women are expected to plug the gaps.
Women with children now spend an average of 65 hours a week on unpaid chores, as against 50 hours logged by fathers, according to the Boston Consulting Group. It questioned parents in five countries.
Frankly, 50 hours sounds high, but studies show men tend to routinely over-estimate their contributions in the home.
As if new norms aren’t sufficiently challenging, the State – which is supposed to be gender blind – is adding to the burden of women.
New mothers are being discriminated against by the State, which has disbarred women on maternity leave from accessing pandemic-related financial supports available to other workers. It wasn’t deliberate, it’s just nobody thought about them. But the inequality remains in place. That tells its own story.
Small wonder that a report from the Central Statistics Office earlier this month found higher numbers of women were depressed compared with men, consuming more alcohol, tobacco and junk food, and “extremely” concerned about their own health or someone else’s.
They are right to have health anxieties, with national screening programmes for cancer paused on the advice of public health doctors. Of the various initiatives suspended, BreastCheck and CervicalCheck impact only on women. All cancer screening is worthwhile, but those two programmes do important work, saving women’s lives with early detection.
Independent TD Michael McNamara observed this week that you can now get a McDonald’s but not a cancer screening. And while that Big Mac picked up at a drive-through carries much less infection risk, cancer screening must be a priority. A safe way of doing it needs to be devised.
It’s just plain unacceptable that there’s no timetable to reopen cancer screening, although we have a schedule for shops and pubs.
The National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) wrote to Health Minister Simon Harris asking that timely access to this “vital service” be restored as soon as safety allows. It has called for a clear roadmap for the resumption of screening, including the return of staff temporarily redeployed when services were suspended in March.
Labour leader Alan Kelly also highlighted the issue in the Dáil, saying the public needs to hear from the Health Service Executive on the matter and calling for specifics about start dates, testing capacity and test turnaround times.
The NWCI received a response from Mr Harris on Thursday which said nothing new and offered no certainty. When it’s safe, is the gist of it. And safety matters, of course it does. But surely it is unsafe not to screen. As it stands, the health service is vulnerable to future pressure from an increase in late cancer diagnoses.
NWCI director Orla O’Connor says women have been contacting the organisation to express their concerns about the lack of cancer screening.
“We know the Government is saying it’s for health reasons because of the spread of the virus, but there have to be ways of doing this,” she told the Irish Independent.
“It seems too restrictive to pause screening services. We are talking about people’s lives. It’s about striking the right balance.”
Even if women manage to stay healthy throughout the pandemic, many will probably become poorer as a result of it. Female-dominated service industries are particularly affected and will struggle to stay viable after lockdown restrictions ease. Consequently, women are proportionately more likely to experience financial insecurity and lose their jobs.
And so to childcare, often referred to as a working mothers’ issue. In fact, it’s a working parents’ issue. But the closure of crèches and schools has meant a disproportionate childcare load landing on women’s shoulders. On couple’s shoulders, did someone suggest? Unfortunately not. Childcare is not shared 50:50 in the majority of cases. Read the reports.
We have been told that crèches will reopen on June 29 for essential workers, a pronouncement that can be taken with a fistful of salt.
Those employed in the childcare industry, as well as parents, will need a lot more reassurance before this plan grows enough feathers to get airborne.
And until crèches reopen, working mothers will find themselves ever closer to breaking point. The grandparent/ neighbour/best friend safety valve is no longer available.
Childcare facilities need to start operating again if the economy is to recover. New modelling, involving carers looking after smaller groups of children, is an obvious way to make this happen. But it cannot be both cost-effective and safe unless the State augments its contribution, however stretched the national resources. This carries a price tag.
Clearly, remodelling is a work in progress. But buy-in on the ground will not be forthcoming until substantially more detail and consultation ensue. A recent plan to provide childcare for frontline health workers crumbled almost as soon as it took shape, not least from lack of consultation.
Government formation talks are under way currently, and the new programme for government needs to include generous childcare supports. The pandemic has taught us the importance of quality, reliable childcare.
It’s undeniably difficult being stuck at home, by official decree, juggling work and young children. It must be really grim doing it in direct provision. But imagine sharing your home with someone who is violent or uses coercive control. Escape routes – the workplace, socialising with friends – have been closed down. Two in three women killed worldwide die at the hands of a partner or intimate family member.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris has spoken about an increase in reports of domestic abuse since lockdown. This is a global issue. However, the ‘Still Here’ advertising campaign has provided a worthwhile service in letting people know that supports still exist.
So, whatever the weather reports say, there’s not much sunshine ahead – especially for women. Creche facilities may or may not be available on June 29. And as for schools reopening in September, inevitably they’ll include some element of pupils working from home. Who’ll supervise? Go on, take a guess.
It’s a demanding environment, this new normal. But some are carrying a heavier weight than others.
It seems too restrictive to pause screening services. We are talking about people’s lives