With COVID 19 cases on the rise and quarantine restrictions becoming law, undeniable long-term effects on women, domestic abuse victims, and the LGBTQ+ community have grown within the past nine months.
Before COVID 19 took into account, women were continuously treated lesser than men and were often denied equal rights and abilities. Currently, women are facing less respectable standards in workplace environments and matters, causing major financial issues. As stated by Talha Burki of The Lancet, “Across the globe, women earn less, save less, hold less secure jobs, and are more likely to be employed in the informal sector. They have less access to social protection and are the majority of single-parent households. Their capacity to absorb economic shocks is therefore less than that of men.” A report presented by the American Community Survey reveals that women of color are primarily employed in fields of work where they are more apt to be exposed to COVID 19. Similarly, a survey conducted over 104 countries found that 67% of the health workforce and 80% of nurses are women. “You have so many women who are doing nursing care,” says Seher Khawaja, Senior Attorney for Economic Empowerment at Legal Momentum in New York City. “Those women who have been called to the front lines have been exposing themselves and putting their health at risk. They were already making inadequate pay, but now the risks you’re asking women to take on are substantially higher. They’re exposing their whole families by going to work every day,” Seher continues. According to the National League of Cities, low-income women of color are particularly economically stretched and face higher eviction rates during this pandemic. The newly adapted quarantine measures and school closures have caused a decrease in women’s access to paid work, creating an even bigger issue regarding unpaid labor. Occupational segregation has resulted in the overrepresentation of Black and Latinx workers in low-wage jobs, which have not transitioned to remote work despite COVID 19. Additionally, women are more likely to work in the informal economy, particularly domestic service. Domestic service offers insecure positions with no offered paid leave or the ability to work from home. Currently, there are 8.5 million women migrant domestic workers worldwide, many of whom have been denied their job due to the pandemic. These jobs place women at the frontlines of exposure, endangering their livelihoods through their health, safety, and economic status.
Another factor of this pandemic impacting women’s safety is domestic abuse. Due to stay-at-home restrictions, domestic abuse rates have increased dramatically over the past year. According to UN Women, about 243 million women are assumed to have experienced sexual or physical abuse at the hands of an intimate partner at some point over the last twelve months. Many of these women have been trapped with their abusers. Within one week of the institution of France’s lockdown protocols, reports of domestic violence increased by 30%. Dozens of other countries experienced similar effects. Reports have indicated that domestic abuse victims are more afraid to call for help during quarantine as their abuser is likely nearby. With COVID 19 keeping students out of school, many girls in developing countries have been removed from their studies and put to work. Child labor, growing poverty, and disrupted efforts to put a stop to child marriage may result in an additional thirteen million child marriages that would not have otherwise occurred over the next ten years.
The effects of school closures have extended to more than just domestic and child abuse. Patriarchal views have pushed women to be the house workers of society. “Domestic duties, things like childcare, preparing food for the extra youngsters who would normally be at school, and looking after sick family members, these responsibilities fall disproportionately on women,” said Clare Wenham, Assistant Professor of Global Health Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK. An estimated 154 billion children, including 743 million girls, are staying at home due to school closures. Since women are considered to take principal responsibility for children, women’s participation in work outside the home is likely to decrease. This trend is especially emphasized in developing countries. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), women perform three times as much unpaid care work as men. In Asia and the Pacific, women perform four times as much.
School and workplace closures have also caused detrimental effects to the health and well-being of women and young girls. “Schools are a safe environment for vulnerable girls; they can provide sanitary towels, for example, and protect them from certain abuses,” said Amina Abdulla, Country Director for Kenya at Concern Worldwide. “Losing this protection has huge implications for health, including in terms of teenage pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.” The lack of access to reproductive health and maternal care services disproportionately affects women in low to middle-income countries. According to a report by Plan International and UNFPA, there has been a 10-20% increase in the number of women who are not able to access family planning in Jordan due to the pandemic. Additionally, it has been estimated that the absence of resources within maternal care services, especially during the pandemic, could claim the lives of over 113,000 women. As reported by Melinda Gates of Foreign Affairs, restricted access to contraception will result in five million unplanned pregnancies- seven million of which will occur in low to middle-income countries. Moreover, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates that for every three months the lockdowns continue, an additional two million women will be unable to access modern contraceptives. This loss of crucial healthcare necessities is detrimental to women, as these resources are needed during this pandemic.
The COVID 19 pandemic is not only creating barriers for women, but also the LGBTQ+ community. Before COVID, LGBTQ+ adults were more prone to experience higher rates of social isolation, depression, anxiety, and substance use than other social groups. The recent stay-at-home restrictions have decreased access to mental health resources, potentially exacerbating underlying mental health issues. School closures have caused all students to struggle with social connectedness, however, isolation is especially impactful on LGTBQ+ students- particularly those lacking a loving familial relationship. Mental health challenges strengthen as nationwide lockdowns occur.
Sudden isolation and increased anxieties around unemployment, housing, and access to critical health care services all fuel the fire of one’s mental health battle. Discrimination and fear of job loss are distinct issues for transgender individuals, especially with the absence of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination based on gender identity. Additionally, COVID has resulted in higher levels of housing insecurity and financial stress for students across the country, including a disproportionate number of transgender and gender-nonconforming students- most of which rely on on-campus housing support due to a lack of parental support. Working in an already difficult situation, LEGABIBO and LGBTQIA+ organizations worldwide have been working even harder to maintain the safety of LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide. Although the entirety of the US population faces risks of job loss, homelessness, and food insecurity, these obstacles are especially elevated for the LGBTQ+ community. Under the Trump administration, several policies protecting transgender people from discrimination in healthcare and homeless shelters have been rolled back. “The loss of income during COVID and the inability to access government help has deeply impacted trans people disproportionately,” says Imara Jones, creator of TransLash and The Last Sip.
In addition to depleting mental health and economic resources, the physical health of the LGBTQ+ community has seen a decrease, as well. According to the Fenway Institute’s March 2020 report, LGBTQ+ adults are more likely to experience chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, obesity, cancer, and HIV/AIDS. With COVID cases on the rise, information regarding confirmed cases must be accurate and up-to-date. However, the LGBTQ+ community is not counted in the tallies of confirmed cases and deaths. The withholding of this information can hide the disproportionate effect of the virus on the LGBTQ+ community and harm the statistics of the global COVID progress. The extreme stress on health services has created challenges for people taking PrePPreEP to obtain their medications. Stay-at-home restrictions have resulted in transgender people to have to postpone surgeries and experience interruptions with hormone therapies. Much of the LGBTQ+ population are not financially stable, have limited access to health resources, and face negative stigma in receiving health and housing services. If these trends of negligence and poor resource allocation continues, the LGBTQ+ population will suffer and die in silence from COVID 19. Focusing attention on the impact of this pandemic on the mental and physical health of the LGBTQ+ community is critical to decreasing the dangerous effects of COVID 19.
This pandemic affects us all, but women, domestic abuse victims, and the LGBTQ+ community have experienced specific struggles. It is important that we spread awareness of these issues of equality and ensure they are brought to justice. In times of hardship, unity is our best hope.
Researcher: Sumiya Miah
Writer: Shanthi Ashok
Editor: Victoria Lu
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