Let's hear it for the girls: How COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted women

We're in Crisis Mode

We’re more than a year into the pandemic, and women are over it. Why? Because the '80s called, and it wants its progress back. 

Women around the world are facing record job losses and unemployment rates as COVID-19 continues to ravage the economy, while forcing most children to stay home from school and daycare. And while we liked to tout equal rights before the pandemic hit, back then, women were spending twice as much time on unpaid labour (household chores and childcare, to name two examples) per day compared to men. Now, that number is drastically worse: On average, women currently spend 15 more hours than men performing unpaid labour every week.

But let’s face it: this isn’t just a pandemic problem.

We’re taking a hard look at the resurfacing gender inequality in the workforce, and what that’s doing to women’s mental and physical health. It’s no wonder putting on a pair of jeans now qualifies as dressing up, or that we’ve forgotten how to do a basic cat-eye. We’re in the midst of a "she-cession," and sloppy buns and zit cream are the new working woman’s uniform. (And no, we’re not going to criticize you for not working out — because girl, same.)

What Is This, 1984?

We’re not talking about the George Orwell novel (though we wouldn’t blame you for feeling like you’re in a dystopian hell). 

Actually — and this might surprise you — 1984 is the year that Canadian Judge Rosalie Abella outlined recommendations for employment equity, wherein federal jurisdiction employers would need to remove unnecessary barriers to employment for women, people with disabilities, Aboriginal peoples, and visible minorities. The 1984 Abella Commission became the basis for Canada’s 1986 Employment Equity Act (later amended in 1995), which aims to achieve equal representation in the workplace wherever ability is not an issue. 

That’s right — equal representation in the workplace was only written into law 37 years ago.

And it doesn’t even apply to all workplaces. Only 10% of Canada’s workforce falls under the federal employment equity legislation. Similar policies are in place at the provincial level, but none are as comprehensive as the Employment Equity Act.

You might be wondering how this differs from the Canadian Human Rights Act. Basically, the Human Rights Act is the overarching goal, while the Employment Equity Act is the roadmap to help us actually get there, by requiring employers to proactively improve access to equal employment opportunities for the four groups previously listed. (Basically, the Human Rights Act says, "Hey, let's treat people equally, OK? Cool," and then moves on, regardless of who's on board.)

In essence, equal opportunity was already based on a dream. The pandemic just made it much less attainable.

Bad Feminists

The Beatles really hit it on the nose when they sang about yesterday’s troubles. (Remember thinking 2019 was trash? 🤣)

We had it pretty good, despite gender inequality around the world (including in Canada). Still, as of 2019, right before the pandemic hit, women had made significant gains in the Canadian labour force. Women’s participation in Canada’s labour force hit a record high in February 2008, with 62.8% of women over the age of 15 employed. In February 2020, the month before Canadian borders closed due to the pandemic, that number was 61.2%, down only slightly from the record-breaking numbers 12 years earlier.

Both numbers demonstrate a stark contrast to the stats from the early 1980s: Women’s employment was at just 51.1% in January 1981, and in January 1984 (the same year the Abella Commission was passed), it was only at 53.2%. So while 61.2% isn’t quite the 68.7% held by our male counterparts, it does demonstrate a more than 10% increase from almost 40 years earlier.

We were certainly headed in the right direction, but we definitely had higher hopes.

Of course, our progress plummeted with COVID-19. By April 2020, women’s employment reached its lowest level in 30 years. By October 2020, at least 20,600 Canadian women had left work, while 67,700 men actually joined the workforce. What makes this even more disturbing is the fact that more women than men have a tertiary education (a Bachelor’s level, or equivalent, and higher) in Canada.

Colour us concerned.

Recession? Try "She-cession"

We’re more than a year into the pandemic, and the possibility of a “she-covery” isn’t looking so good. Sectors that employed the most women, such as food services and retail, were not only the hardest hit by the pandemic recession, but have also been the slowest to recover. And even with gradual job (re)creation throughout the middle of 2020, only 45% of employment gains were made by women — after taking 51% of all losses. (You do the math.)

The story is even more grim for Black and minority women. The data for November 2020 indicates that minority women faced a jobless rate of 10.5%, compared to 6.2% for white women. South Asian women had the highest unemployment rates in Canada, with Black women close behind. But as those numbers recovered somewhat toward the tail-end of 2020, Chinese Canadian women face a much slower recovery rate, and are currently the demographic furthest away from their pre-pandemic numbers. (As a side note, it’s safe to assume that there’s more than just a gender bias happening here, as reports of xenophobia have increased throughout the pandemic.) Indigenous women also continue to fare poorly, averaging at a 16.8% unemployment rate in mid-2020.

The overarching issue at play is that women, regardless of demographic, have always shouldered more of the unpaid, day-to-day work (like household chores and childcare) than men. (As much as one hour and 16 minutes more per day, to be exact — and that’s not even accounting for COVID-19’s impact.)

Needless to say, being a woman pre-pandemic was already pretty exhausting. Now, factor in economic lockdowns, school closures, and working from home (and don’t even get us started on the emotional and mental pressure of the pandemic), and this sh*t really stinks.

Not What We Signed Up For

It's not surprising that more women than men are reporting their mental health as “bad” or “very bad,” according to a January 2021 survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies. The situation is exactly the same as it was back at the start of the pandemic, when more women reported mental health declines, due to the added duties of caring for children or relatives, a faster rate of job loss, and an increased risk of domestic violence (that, on average, targets more women than men) during lockdowns. And, if the 2008 recession is any indicator, mental health-related doctors' visits are expected to jump by anywhere from 54% to 163%. 

Brb — we need to order another bottle of chardonnay, stat.

If you’ve also been drowning your sorrows in the fudge fridge, trust us — you’re not alone. Comfort isn’t the only reason we’ve traded in our low-rise jeans for a stretchier waistline. A global survey found that 33% of all Canadian respondents reported a weight gain, and more than half of those surveyed gained more than five pounds. (Guilty as charged. 🤭)

And guess what? The survey found that, worldwide, women were way more likely to gain weight — and keep it — than men, and pointed to added household burdens as a potential factor.

Let’s be clear: We are not saying this is a problem. What we are saying is, the system is working against us, and it’s high time for change.

Getting Equal

At this point, it's clear that women need all the support they can get to level the playing field. (Did you know that women still aren't paid the same as men, even when qualifications, ability, and experience aren't an issue?)

Although the current situation is undeniably drab, we do have reason to be hopeful about the future.

Last September, Federal Pay Equity Commissioner Karen Jensen published a piece declaring that the pandemic recession is the perfect time to narrow the wage gap. With unprecedented numbers of women dropping out of their jobs, Jensen urged employers to incentivize women's return to the workforce by offering equal pay for equal work. And with a study showing that, at more than 4,000 companies worldwide, increasing pay equity across genders increased revenue, it makes perfect sense that we should all be asking for a raise in an effort to restart the economy.

As of right now, the federal government does have a Pay Equity Act, but it's basically been sitting in some back cabinet somewhere in Parliament, and doesn't actually come into force until the Governor in Council decides it's time.

In the meantime, there's hope. One of the biggest costs for women (and families) is childcare — which is obviously more difficult to obtain the less women are paid, but we digress.

Recently, the government unveiled its federal budget, which includes more than $2 billion for a nation childcare program. Ottawa also committed to further subsidize extracurricular programs for primary school-aged children to reduce childcare costs even more.

As of right now, it's all just words, but the government said Canadians can expect to see real change within the next 18 months. We have our fingers crossed that these promises might actually come to fruition.