The epidemic has accelerated existing economic trends, such as the increase in telework. But at the same time, it also exacerbates the existing economic gap.
At a recent conference hosted by the Washington State Academy of Sciences, speakers explored how the epidemic affected women in Washington state and elsewhere and exacerbated racial and socio-economic inequalities.
Widening disparities during pandemics are a global phenomenon, as highlighted in a new report by the bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which assesses the disproportionate impact on women.
Psychologist Celestina Barbosa leiker is the research vice president and associate professor of Health Sciences at Washington State University in Spokane. She said that American women have lower employment security, lower overall wages and higher nursing burden than men. In addition, most single parent families are headed by women.
A large number of studies across the country have shown that most of the burden of child care is borne by mothers or working mothers.
Barbosa leikers said: “a large number of studies across the country have shown that most of the burden of child care falls on mothers or working mothers.” he pointed out that working parents must find ways to balance work and children’s distance education.
Barbosa leiker points out that a survey shows that scientists with children have suffered a great blow in productivity, and female scientists face the greatest risk. Another study showed that scientific publications published by female researchers were more affected by the influenza pandemic than male researchers.
With the economic recovery, men are employed back faster than women; In August, women received less than 12 per cent of employment opportunities. Unemployment is particularly high among black women and Latin Americans.
In January, the female labor force participation rate also fell to the lowest level in 33 years. Since the arrogance epidemic, 2.3 million people have quit, compared with 1.8 million men.
Barbosa leiker highlighted her recent study on the stress faced by 162 pregnant women and new mothers during last year’s influenza pandemic. She and her colleagues found that women of color and low-income women reported less social and economic support than high-income women and non Hispanic white women.
Stephen Blandford, executive director of the children’s alliance, said that in April 2020, nearly half of the child care centers in Washington said they were at risk of closure, and many of them did. His group helped lobby the state legislature for new child care measures.
Now, most of the state’s new capital gains tax will be used for early learning and child care, about $415 million from 2021 to 2023.
Other racial differences noted at the meeting included the high unemployment rate of African Americans in the Puget Bay area due to the pandemic, as well as continuing differences in housing ownership.
There are also regional differences in the state. In some counties in the southwest and east of Washington, more than 15% of people have access to basic food services, compared with 8% in King County. Lisa brown, director of the Washington State Department of Commerce, said: “when we began to enter the influenza pandemic, northeast Washington had not even recovered from the last recession.”.
In many ethnic communities, all economic data are covered by the significantly increased health burden of coronavirus-19. For example, the cumulative COVID-19 -19 mortality rate among Hispanic people is three times more than that of whites in the state, and the vaccination rate is also low.
Although 76% of the state’s population aged 12 and over has been vaccinated at least once, vaccination rates vary widely in an environment of vaccine hesitation and distrust.
State health minister umair Shah said: “the problem we face is that in some communities, you have 80% to 90% intake, while in other communities, you have 30% to 40% intake.”. “This is the biggest challenge we face.”
Brandford encouraged participants to “really think deeply about how to reach communities affected by the virus and the dual virus of racism.”