New report shows work puts women at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19 – BC News

Photo: Pexels

A new report released by the BC Women’s Heath Foundation (BCWHF), Pacific Blue Cross and economist Dr. Marina Adshade shows that women are at greater risk of exposure to COVID-19 in British Columbia due to the type of work they do.

According to the study, more than half of employed women in BC work in jobs that have high face-to-face interactions in the retail, education, health care, and lodging / food services sectors.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted everyone, but not in the same way. While no one has remained immune to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, women have been disproportionately affected,” Adshade told Castanet in one. e-mail.

“The physical, mental, economic and emotional consequences for women are and will be astounding, but these realities will affect us all: our future generations, our organizations and our healthcare system,” she adds.

In a press release, the BC Women’s Health Foundation says that if the systemic inequalities affecting women’s health are improved, $ 2 billion a year in lost working hours could be saved.

This socio-economic impact report also reveals the following important facts:

• BC women were the first to be severely affected by job loss and for longer periods of time. Women lost 60% more jobs than men in March 2020, raising the actual unemployment rate of women in the province to 26.5% in March and 28% in April.
• The working mothers of the province, aged 24 to 55, lost 26% of their working hours in April, compared to 14% of the working hours lost by working fathers. Women attributed six times more of these hours of work lost each week to family responsibilities than men.

The report notes that industries where the proportion of men and women is equal in an industrial sector, the roles women fill cause them to have a higher risk of exposure. For example: A higher percentage of women occupy sales and cashier roles, while men occupy a higher percentage of sales manager roles in the retail sector.

“In times of intense difficulty, there is a temptation to classify gender as a secondary issue, or something to be addressed later, once the ‘real crisis’ has been addressed,” explains Adshade.

“The unique health needs of women persist and should not be overlooked by health approaches and recovery plans from the pandemic. Society has been turned upside down. Now is the time to redefine normalcy and BCWHF is ready to be part of the recovery.”

BCWHF and Pacific Blue Cross today launched a social media campaign called #WeSeeYou, in conjunction with this report to raise awareness of this gender inequality.

All British Colombians are encouraged to participate by posting a photo on social media, wearing a mask. They can tag up to three women in their life in recognition of their strength through the pandemic.

To download the full report and to learn more about the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s health, click here.