The impact of the pandemic on inequality between men and women

The two years of the pandemic COVID-19 have deteriorated the living conditions of the women in the world, especially mental health, the return to working life and the rise in gender-based violence.

Sexist violence on the rise

The UN Women agency published in November 2021 an investigation based on the testimonies of 16,154 women in 13 middle-income countries (Colombia, Ukraine, Morocco, Bangladesh…) 45% of these women declared that they had been victims or that they knew a woman who had been a victim of violence since the start of the pandemic.

“Economic uncertainty, school closures or the mental overload of housework created an environment conducive to intra-family conflicts” explain LynnMarie Sardinha and Avni Amin, researchers at the World Health Organization (WHO).

And as was the case before the pandemic, women suffer from the violence present in social networks, more than men.

“The +revenge porn+ (unauthorized dissemination of pornographic content filmed with a person) and the risk in terms of pedocriminality have increased worryingly,” adds Muriel Salmona, a psychiatrist specializing in the study of post-traumatic shock.

Alteration of mental health

UN research reveals that two women in five have felt the negative impact of the pandemic on their mental health.

The mental overload of domestic work causes “greater risks of stress and depression among women than among men”, explain LynnMarie Sardinha and Avni Amin.

This mental overload was reinforced by telecommuting, child care at home and mobility restrictions.

Another indicator is the studies that have been carried out on the mobility of women. During the lockdowns they had to inform the authorities about their movements, the same as the men.

But also often to their partners, explains Marion Tillous, professor of geography and gender studies at the University of Paris VIII. This very particular context reduced the confidence of women, “who now dare less to move away” from their homes, she adds.

The difficult adaptation to teleworking

LynnMarie Sardinha and Avni Amin criticize the rigidity of the companies, which make it difficult to reconcile telecommuting and domestic work.

“Many more women were forced to resign because they could not cope with the double stress of their profession and the mental overload of the home,” say these WHO researchers.

The analysis of female mobility during the pandemic shows that they spent more time on housework than on their work, compared to men and compared to the situation before the pandemic.

Those studies reveal that “inequalities increased and took twenty years of delay”, explains Tillous.

On the other hand, working at home caused a logical decrease in aggressions in common transport, the experts say.

However, the return to the office, by public transport, increases the feeling of insecurity. Three out of five women questioned for the UN study consider that sexual harassment in common transport has increased compared to before 2020.

The visibility of women

“We can see a real effort (by associations and public powers) to be more reactive and more effective against domestic violence” since the pandemic, explains Dr. Salmona.

Marion Tillous differs from that view. The aid devices have been identical since the start of the pandemic, laments this university student. “Women victims of violence are heard more, but their words fall on deaf ears.”

For LynnMarie Sardinha and Avni Amin, the health crisis demonstrated the consequences of inequality when it comes to sharing the weight of household chores.

“The pandemic was an opportunity to imagine a different and more equitable future for women, especially for those who suffer most from exclusion and marginalization,” they explain.