Women Pay Heavy Price In COVID-19 Crisis

As we mark International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women today, I wanted to shine a spotlight on the impact of the pandemic on women and their mental health.

COVID-19 has had a knock-on effect on the mental health of people of all ages and both sexes but the dramatic impact on many women has slipped under the radar.

With lockdowns and restrictions across the globe, the evidence is that women have been forced to remain indoors, sometimes with an abusive partner.

A report earlier this month by UN Women, created a decade ago by the United Nations, spelt out the impact: “As doors closed reports of all forms of violence against women and girls, particularly domestic violence began to rise.

“The pandemic violence against women is not new. Even before COVID-19 hit us, globally, 243 million women and girls were abused by their intimate partners in the past year. The COVID-19 pandemic intensified the violence, as support services faltered and accessing help became harder.”

Deaths from domestic abuse doubled in the first month of lockdown in the United Kingdom, according to a project tracking violence against women. The British Medical Journal reported: “Past epidemics, including Ebola and Zika, suggest violence against women may shift in nature and scale as outbreaks affect social and economic life.”

For those women staying at home without the threat of domestic violence, it has been particularly tough as they have been unable to count on the support of elderly parents or grandparents, as well as not being able to call on babysitters to help with caring responsibilities.

Studies have found the coronavirus crisis has led to increases in anxiety, depression and many have suffered trouble sleeping. It has been hard-hitting for women and many have found their job prospects worsen as they’ve looked after their families at home with the closure of schools often limiting their work and economic opportunities.

Findings from the Mental Health Foundation were clear:

“Women are more likely to do unpaid work, are overrepresented in low-paid and insecure work, and are more likely to have pre-existing difficulties with debt and bills. They are also more likely to shoulder a higher proportion of caring responsibilities. All of the women in these positions were at greater risk of developing a mental health problem before the pandemic and will be at increased risk as the economic ramifications of the pandemic are realised.”

I know that many others working on the frontline as health professionals, who are at higher risk of catching COVID-19, have found life very stressful for their mental health as they battled the pandemic. Women make up 70 percent of the healthcare workforce worldwide.

A report by The Lancet, the esteemed medical journal, showed the psychological distress among US adults earlier this year. Its findings suggested that being young, a woman and living with children, especially preschool age children, have had a particularly strong influence on the extent to which mental distress increased under the conditions of the pandemic.

We need to be aware of the evidence over the last eight months pointing to a wide range of challenges and issues for women, impacting negatively on their mental health as they cope with life during the pandemic.

Angelini Pharma is supporting a Politico virtual panel event on December 3rd titled Making Mental Health Matter, aimed at encouraging as wide as possible discussion on this subject. I do hope you will join us online.